Hermosa Orchards Village is the latest tiny home community in Colorado, located in beautiful La Plata county. Three hundred sixty mountain views surround the little neighborhood. It’s also just a few steps away from a trail system and a short drive to a ski resort, hot springs, and charming downtown Durango.
In the new community itself, landscaping is still going in. However, there is still plenty of green space to be had, like the wonderful communal fruit tree orchard. All residents can pick as much as they like! Each lot has room for yards, landscaping & gardening, picnic tables, and a shed or small studio space. In total, the village features eleven 36-foot wide spaces and eleven 50-foot wide spaces ranging from 95-feet to 135-feet in length. That’s much larger than many other tiny home communities and RV parks. However, lot rent is on the high-end but only a fraction of the cost of local studio or 1-bedroom apartments. It ranges from $650-$825 per month and includes water and sewer services. Additionally, electric, trash, cable tv, and high-speed internet are available for each.
Inside the Latest Tiny Home Community in Colorado
First-time developer, Chris Hall decided to create Hermosa Orchards Village after hosting a tiny house on wheels on his property several years ago. This experience opened his eyes to the need for THOW parking. Ultimately, it led him to pursue developing his several-acre family land. Unfortunately, the approval process was long, slow, but rewarding. With Chris’s project approval also came La Plata County’s tiny house community zoning regulations to allow others to follow in his footsteps!
“You really got to do your due diligence when you come in to develop something because every place is different and has different rules and regs. Some will make it possible, and some will make it incredibly difficult. Like if you just go one county over to Mancas, they don’t have any building codes, and you just do whatever you want over there. Every city decides how they want to develop…
I’m not a developer; I built a few houses, but this is my first roll into it. It took a lot of time. Because man, it is difficult and expensive! You just don’t go in; you’re hiring your engineers and attorneys and all that stuff. It’s a lot. You’re not going to get rich off it, but I think it’s a good thing for the community.
I think a lot of people poo poo the old trailer parks, but you know, you got to start somewhere. They really provide a good service for low income. The old trailer parks, actually, most of them are kept pretty well and haven’t been let go. They provide that first homeownership opportunity for a single mom, for a teacher, or for somebody who can get into one affordably and build some equity and use it as a stepping stone… I really do believe you need these varying levels of housing for people starting out.”
-Chris Hall, Hermosa Orchards Village developer
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