- in Announcement
- |
- 12 comments
Mega Tiny Home Communities Coming to Austin
Are tiny home communities the next big thing? The movement has gone from obscure to a hot housing trend. It has even made it into the marketing big-leagues; see Andrew Odom’s recent post, Big Business for the Tiny House. Last year I sat down with Jay Shafer, who built his first tiny home in 1999, and he shared his insight on the growth of the movement:
“It’s gone from renegade to mainstream. People know what tiny houses are now. That’s a big step. Not everyone recognizes the value of tiny houses, but I bet a lot of people do.”
This broad interest can be seen this at tiny house events that are attracting tens of thousands across the country. Now laws are changing in a dozen states to accommodate this growing housing trend, and with that, community developments are on the rise. Just this past week, it was announced that two big tiny communities are coming to the greater Austin area. And when I say big, I mean BIG—between 275 and 500 tiny homes total.
Constellation ATX, located just south of Austin and only 10 minutes from downtown, will feature 85 lots. Your personal home maybe tiny but the planned community experience is anything but, with extensive amenity offerings and a focus on sustainable living, with features like onsite recycling, rainwater catchment, and native plant landscaping. The look and landscaping of the community will be crafted by the award-winning Mark Word Design, the group behind Avenue’s Hotel San Jose and Hotel Saint Cecilia.
Developers James Stinson and Lauren Carson of Tiny Dwelling Co. have partnered with tiny house manufacturers, Kasita and Sprout Tiny Homes. All of the modular tiny homes are portable but are not on wheels. Financing will be available. Per Stinson, the estimated cost of community living will begin at $1,100 per month, which is around the average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in Austin. The difference: you will ultimately own your own tiny home at Constellation ATX. Are the amenities, hip walkable location and close proximity to downtown Austin worth the cost? For Kasita CEO Jeff Wilson, the answer is yes:
“One of the hardest obstacles in the affordability crisis is the ‘land problem’ i.e. for many folks that want to get into a home, even a tiny home, they don’t – or more likely can’t – own land to put it on. We are proud to announce a partnership to create a new model of home ownership – without the land. Think about it someplace between renting and owning while living a lifestyle that is green, minimal, and community-centric.”
Constellation ATX is scheduled to open March 1, and they are now taking reservations. Their second development in Kyle, TX, tentatively named Stage Coach, is slated to open later in 2018.
Contact Sales at Tiny Dwelling Co. to learn more: sales@tinydwellingco.com
Would you live here? Share in the comments!
-Alexis Stephens, Tiny House Blog Contributor
My partner, Christian and I are traveling tiny house dwellers. Together we’ve been on the road two years for our documentary and community outreach project, Tiny House Expedition. We live, breathe, dream the tiny home community every day. This is our life and our true passion project. We are very grateful to be able to experience this inspiring movement in such an intimate way and to be able to share our exploration with all of you.
