What does a community do when a neighborhood is built but in-fill space remains? A city in Arizona thinks that tiny homes may be the answer.
Casa Grande, about an hour south of Phoenix in Pinal County, has experienced a housing problem similar to many cities in the United States.
Casa Grande Planning and Development Director Paul Tice told the City Council that shipping containers and tiny homes could be an alternative housing source, pending the proposed city code text amendments that planning staff are tackling.
Tice made the comments during a study session with the City Council in late November. He said he receives constant calls from prospective developers inquiring about what they could do with vacant land that would be in-fill sites amid existing neighborhoods.
“Every day, we have people who contact us that they’ve identified in-fill lots, and they talk to us about what they can put on that lot,” Tice said. “Not just single-family homes but duplexes, triplexes, and alternative housing types, including container homes,” said Tice. He added the city is determined to encourage residential development in the downtown area as “a way to revitalize and re-energize the area.”
Casa Grande’s population, like many other areas in Arizona, is growing. The current population of the town is approximately 72,000 with a growth rate of 7.2 percent when compared to 2022. Tice mentioned that based on current trends, Casa Grande could add another 21,000 residents by 2030.
What qualifies as a tiny home in Arizona?
Casa Grande still needs to resolve its city codes, but in Maricopa County, a tiny house must be at least 200 square feet but no more than 400 square feet (the latest U.S. Census put the average size of a Phoenix home at 2,500 square feet). However, if the tiny house is licensed as a travel vehicle, the state treats it differently.
Permanently rooted tiny homes in Arizona must meet the same building code demands as a traditional home. However, there are several differences in the code that are size-specific.
• The ceiling in the habitable space and hallways needs to be at least six feet, eight inches (bathrooms and kitchens can be six feet, four inches)
• There must be a roof access window or skylight, which can double as an emergency escape.
• They require less insulation than a regular home.
• The houses range in price depending on location and features but generally hover near the $50,000 mark.
Tiny homes in Casa Grande could built by builders flourishing in Arizona
There are multiple tiny home builders in Arizona. Minimal Living Concepts, based out of Scottsdale, began building to fill the need for additions and guest houses. But as their company progressed, many people asked about owning one of their builds as a stand-alone tiny home.
“Maybe 70 percent of our clients are using these as additions and guest houses,” said Zander Diamont, co-owner of Scottsdale-based Minimal Living Concepts. “We are looking to begin developing these units as homes and developments. We get calls on almost a weekly basis from people saying, ‘Hey, do you have these for sale?”
Minimal Living Concepts’ Dwell unit contains two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a full kitchen with appliances. Dwell’s square footage is 1,178 square feet, and prices start at $298,000.
Mary Beth and Mike Partanna founded Phoenix-based Uncharted Tiny Homes in 2016 to improve on the tiny home options they saw available.
“Mike was a contractor for 12 years,” Mary Beth said. “He was remodeling homes, fixing other contractors’ mistakes. One night, we saw a documentary on tiny home living. It wasn’t quite a thing yet. And he said, ‘You know, I think I can do this better. Let me try it.’ He built it all himself. We debuted it at a Phoenix Home and Garden Show, and there was a line of people wrapped around the place to see the tiny home.
Are modular homes the answer?
While tiny homes can be perfect for fitting into remaining in-fill spaces, other Arizona builders are answering the call for high-density dwellings on smaller lots. ZenniHomes is building a high-density, small-footprint community in Mesa called 29 West.
The mid-rise building will comprise two six-story towers on just half an acre of land in downtown Mesa. 29 West broke ground in mid-July and will contain two types of units: 30 studios and 60 two-bedroom floor plans for a total of 90 homes in the project. The units are being built at ZenniHome’s factory in Page, AZ.
Meanwhile, project partner Caliber is preparing the site for installation. The base model pricing for the studio unit, the Denizen, is $90,000. The two-bedroom unit, called the Citizen, starts at $125,000. Multiple upgrades are available for both types of homes.
David Monson, ZenniHome’s vice-president of marketing and design, expressed why these sorts of projects benefit Arizona cities such as Phoenix.
“There continues to be a housing shortage in Phoenix. There is a need for greater density in the area. And there’s also the goal of having a walkable city, Monson said. “We designed our building to stack five stories high over a podium, and we’ll have a grocery store on that first floor. When you can bring greater density to an area, you can remove the need for cars and make a dense urban center where people have everything they need within a close distance. Mesa has done great with their light rail going through the city.”
Whether it’s to revitalize an area, solve a housing shortage, or both, tiny homes continue to serve various purposes in today’s market. Casa Grande’s Paul Tice believes smaller housing would make a difference in the city. Casa Grande mayor Craig McFarland agrees. McFarland praised Tice for his work and described the content as “exactly what we are looking for, or at least what I am; I’m assuming that fellow council members would agree.”
