Homeowners in Vista may soon be able to install movable tiny homes on their property after the City Council asked staffers to look into creating an ordinance.
Deputy Mayor Katie Melendez, who represents western Vista, supports the move and asked for the item to be added to last week’s agenda.
“There seems to be an appetite from the community,” she said at the meeting.
Tiny houses are similar to “granny flats,” but are smaller, cost less, and are relocatable. Tiny houses are typically 150 to 400 square feet.
The council asked the city manager to come back with recommendations for an ordinance related to the dwellings. They reviewed ordinances for the city and county of San Diego and said they had questions and concerns they wanted to see addressed before deciding how to move forward with an ordinance for Vista.
Mayor John Franklin said he was worried that allowing tiny homes would increase population density and reduce available development impact fees.
“I love watching them on TV, but I have serious concerns about how they will affect our community,” he explained.
Corinna Contreras, who represents the northwestern section of the city, said she thought having movable tiny homes as an option would increase the quality of living for some residents, though she added that she didn’t want to rush into it.
“This could be a longer process,” she said. “It could take us two to three meetings to home in on how we really want to move forward on this.”
The cost of tiny homes starts at about $50,000, said Ellen Stone, founder of Tiny Home Central. Because they’re cheaper and easier to install than similarly sized permanent dwellings, allowing them can help create more affordable housing, she added.
“There are things that can be done with moveable tiny homes that can’t be done with any other type of housing within legal framework here,” she told the council.
The City of San Diego approved an ordinance in 2020 allowing homeowners to install movable tiny houses on their property. The County of San Diego’s director of planning and development services shared a determination last month that these tiny homes meet the definition of a dwelling in the county’s zoning ordinance.
The council members asked city staff to review these two ordinances as well as those in other cities outside of San Diego County as they put together recommendations specific to their city.