Wealthy Loudoun Co. considers what tiny home community would look like

Virginia’s Loudoun County — perpetually dubbed the wealthiest county in the U.S. based on median household income — is exploring how a tiny home community might provide affordable housing.

In a Monday Board of Supervisors business meeting, Board Chair Phyllis Randall expressed excitement at the possibility of helping low and moderate income people afford homes, in a county where the average 2024 sales price for a one-bedroom unit was $357,292 and $455,108 for a two-bedroom home, according to Bright MLS.

Randall said she has been “going down a tiny home rabbit hole,” and envisions three groups would most likely be interested in living in a tiny home.

“Individuals, who are, often, coming out of a life crisis, and this is a good way to get them back on their feet,” and out of homelessness, Randall said. “They’re very, very nice, tiny places to live in.”

In addition, elderly people might want to have their own space, but not be interested in maintaining a large house and yard.

“There are some tiny home communities that are senior tiny home communities, instead of independent apartments in a building, they have their own little, tiny home in the community — I love that,” Randall said.

And young people, just out of school, “You may not want to do an apartment, they don’t have any money, yet,” Randall said. “It’s a great place to start, or sometimes a great way to restart your life.”

In developing a Tiny Homes White Paper, the county will identify a number of possibilities, since tiny home can vary in meaning and isn’t a standard term. The county will also investigate whether there are any Department of Family Services restrictions on who can live in a tiny home.

Tiny homes can be built on wheels or set on a foundation. Those on wheels are easily transported, while nonmobile housing may be modular or manufactured, shipping containers or 3D printed.

According to the supervisors staff report, tiny homes designed as permanent structures can meet building and residential codes, and can be owned by a nonprofit organization, private developer or treated as conventional homes and sold to individuals.

Randall encouraged board members to “not just look at the square footage of what a tiny home is.”

“They have all this new tiny home furniture — it was a bed, now it’s a table, now it’s an ironing board,” Randall said. “They’re really, really unique little homes that change peoples’ lives at the right time.”

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