Georgia's first-ever tiny home neighborhood to be built this summer

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A piece of property in DeKalb County that’s barely big enough to build one house on, will have eight.

The city of Clarkston has approved the construction of Georgia’s first-ever tiny home neighborhood on a patch of grass along Vaughan Street.

"It is so exciting that this has happened, for the fact that we found a partner, and that's what we want,” developer Will Johnston said.

Johnston is the executive director of the MicroLife Institute, a nonprofit that helps develop tiny neighborhoods full of tiny homes.

"Well, Clarkston - years ago - allowed a lot of apartment complexes to be built. So about 80 percent of our housing market is rental,” Mayor Ted Terry said.

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Terry said there isn’t much vacant land left, so the city approved the tiny home community. Eight houses between 250 and 492 square feet will be built on a half-acre of land, including parking and a tiny park.

"I think a lot of cities, when they heard we were doing this said, 'Alright. Y'all go first and let us know how it goes," Terry said.

A tiny home festival is setting up this weekend at Atlanta’s Atlantic Station, where Johnston will ask visitors to think outside the box by putting them in one. "As many people who want to come and see these, come and see,” Johnston said.

Construction starts this summer. The mayor said part of the deal for the people who eventually live there is for the first six months, on one day per month, they allow tours of their tiny homes.

Cox Media Group