Idaho Tiny Home News
Moscow officials: Housing gaps won’t be easy to fill Dec. 3rd, 2019
Understanding and solving housing gaps is something organizations and governments are trying to do across the country, including on the Palouse.
It was apparent during a Moscow City Council housing workshop Monday that answering those questions will be difficult, especially with a tight city budget.
Bill Belknap, Moscow’s deputy city supervisor of community planning and design, said the city can explore the possibility of a cost-reduction program for attainable housing projects and potentially partner with housing developers to pursue grant funding to assist with affordable housing options.
TPMA proposed that Palouse leaders consider facilitating increased access to small single-family homes, tiny home neighborhoods, accessory dwelling units, modular-built homes, large scale single-family housing developments, senior housing and agrihoods.
Moscow softens requirements for parking, accessory dwellings Dec. 3rd, 2019
Lot size is no longer an obstacle for Moscow property owners to construct an “accessory dwelling unit” on their property.
The Moscow City Council on Monday night chose to eliminate the minimum lot size requirement which will allow greater opportunities for all residential properties to have the option of developing the units.
The ADUs must be no more than 600 square feet in size or 40 percent of the gross floor area of the principal dwelling, whichever is less. Occupancy of the ADUs is limited to two people and the owner must live in the ADU or in the principal dwelling on the property. One off-street parking space is required for the ADU.
Moscow considers allowing more accessory dwellings Nov 26th, 2019
Pending Moscow City Council approval Monday, Moscow property owners ineligible to construct an accessory dwelling unit on their lot because of its size will be allowed to build one if they choose.
Since the city council in 2015 approved an ADU ordinance allowing the units in all residential zones, eight ADUs — separate units that are accessory to single-family dwellings — have been constructed throughout the city.
But several properties do not meet the minimum lot area of the zoning district they are in and city staff has received numerous inquiries since 2015 regarding establishing ADUs on lots with nonconforming sizes, Moscow Planning Manager Mike Ray told the Moscow City Council Administrative Committee Monday.
Appendix Q: Idaho Adopted
Appendix Q Tiny Homes On A Foundation
Living small: Tiny home craze has come to East Idaho May 28th, 2019
All of SmartMods’ tiny homes are portable at first. RV-style and manufactured homes can still be moved after they’ve been set up, but modular homes are immovable once they’re installed.
Article Source East Idaho Business Journal
RVIA Works with Idaho, Va, to Define Park Models April 21st, 2017
In the 2017 legislative session, the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) successfully worked with two more states, Idaho and Virginia, to enact bills that define park model RVs (PMRV) as a type of recreation vehicle while also defeating a bill in New Mexico to define PMRVs as manufactured housing.
According to an RVIA Today Express report, Virginia SB 1497 amends the definition of manufactured home to exclude PMRVs and includes RVIA’s model definition for PMRV. In Idaho, H 156 amends the definition of recreational vehicle is to include PMRVs. This bill classifies PMRVs as personal property and states that PMRVs are not real property. The bill also prohibits a PMRV from being registered as a recreation vehicle if it: is permanently attached to a foundation; has an attached building addition; or is substantially modified in such a way that it no longer meets the definition of a park model recreational vehicle in Idaho Code.
In New Mexico, the county property assessors introduced a bill to include PMRVs in the definition of manufactured housing. RVIA, as well as the New Mexico Manufactured Housing Association, objected to the bill. Although RVIA worked to educate the bill sponsor and county assessors on why PMRVs are not a type of manufactured housing, the bill sponsor moved forward with a substitute bill that did not define PMRVs as a type of manufactured housing, but rather defined them as a separate type of housing that was to be treated identically as manufactured housing.
RVIA was not able to prevent the bill from passing the legislature, but we were able to convince the New Mexico Governor not to sign the bill. Because the bill was not signed by the deadline, the bill will not become law. RVIA is hopeful we will be able to work with the county assessors next year to pass a bill that defines PMRVs as a type of RV.
