While working in a retirement home, Debbie Caneen noticed that many of her fellow employees or the retirees’ family members could not find affordable housing in the Ruskin, Florida area. With this in mind and some proceeds from the sale of a rental house, Caneen decided to purchase an old mobile home community and turn it into a tiny community surrounded by edible landscaping and sustainable practices.
Debbie Caneen (right) with local Commissioner Sandy Murman at her Circle Pond tiny house.
Circle Pond Tiny Community is located in Ruskin, Florida.
“I completely lost my mind and went ahead and bought it!” Caneen laughs. “Tiny homes are the perfect fit for me.”
The homes, like this one from RNR Tiny Homes, will be surrounded by an edible garden.
Along with the rental home proceeds, Caneen also received a grant by Fulfill Your Destiny and the Helen Gordon Davis Centre for Women in Tampa. Her plans for the 4.5 acre Circle Pond Community include a group of tiny homes on wheels surrounded by edible landscaping and sustainable practices. Future plans include adding a compost area, chickens and maybe some goats.
Circle Pond is located on a 4.5 acre lot surrounding a small lake.
The community has space for 11 homes and the lots currently rent for $450 per month. The lots include all utilities except for wifi. At this time Circle Pond has several homes built by Cornerstone Tiny Homes and Tampa Bay Tiny Homes, but community members can bring their own owner- or business-built tiny house.
“Everything we plant we want to be edible. It’s all about sustainability for me,” Caneen says.
The community has parking for owners as well as group areas.
Photos courtesy of Circle Pond Tiny Community
By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]
How do you get started?
I read about your project on Tiny House Blog.
I would like to do this for myself, and perhaps create a community for other seniors like myself.
Thank you for your comment. A project like this will depend on your area, local government approval and initial personal investment. You can learn more about Ms. Caneen’s project on her Facebook page: facebook.com/TinyHomeOnWheels
Hello, Circle Pound sounds like a great idea, my wife and I are really thinking to get a Tiny home in the future. The problem is that there are not many options to park one and the only two communities that we have found in the Tampa area might run out of lots very soon because they offer only few lots. I hope more communities like this one will pop up in the future so when we are ready could jump into one right away. The uncertainty of the future and the bad economy might influence to rise more tiny homes communities in this area very soon. Thanks for the article.