Gwinnett County could soon be home to metro-Atlanta’s next tiny home community.
The Gwinnett Housing Corporation and the MicroLife Institute, an Atlanta-based nonprofit that builds diverse housing types, have partnered to help address the demand for “missing middle” housing, the kind falling between single-family homes and mid-rise apartments. That includes townhomes, duplexes, triplexes and cottages.
Earlier this month, Gwinnett County awarded the housing corporation a $500,000 grant to acquire land to build the tiny home community, a county spokesperson said. The funding was awarded through the HOME Investment Partnerships Program.
“Today, first-time home buyers encounter tremendous challenges as they compete with investors making cash offers and waiving contingencies,” Lejla Prljaca, the Gwinnett Housing Corporation CEO, said in a statement.
“Additionally, historically high mortgage interest rates and rising property taxes are diminishing their purchasing power. By offering affordably priced homes, we hope that more families can achieve their dreams of homeownership.”
In 2023, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published its, “American Dream for Rent” investigative series, finding that out-of-state investors have contributed to metro Atlanta’s housing crunch, making it harder for first-time homebuyers to enter the market.
The tiny home project will include cottage-style homes up to 750 square feet. The homes will be priced to families earning up to 80% of the area median income.
A location for the community has not yet been selected.
In 2019, Georgia’s first tiny home neighborhood was approved in DeKalb County in Clarkston. The city worked with the MicroLife Institute, and developed “The Cottages on Vaughan,” an eight-home community sitting on half an acre.
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