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VOL. 13 • NO. 45

WWW.THEINDEPENDENTNEWSPAPERS.COM

Planning and Zoning to examine ‘tiny houses’ for Village By Paul DelGuidice

FOR THE VILLA PARK INDEPENDENT

Watchers of HGTV are familiar with so-called ‘tiny houses’ — very small dwellings of just a few hundred square feet that maximize living space while keeping a small footprint both literally and in their impact on the environment. Such tiny homes, as small as 90 square feet in some cases, are touted as an affordable way to live that helps save the planet while saving money. Television programs featuring such dwellings and the people who choose to live in them are popular, but the reality is, many who would like to live in such a house don’t know where to build it. For Villa Park residents who may wish to explore ‘tiny house’ living, the short answer is not in the Garden Village. “Our building codes don’t allow it,” Villa Park Trustee Chris Aiello told the Independent. “For one, any singlefamily dwelling built in Villa Park must include a two-car garage.” Aiello was iterating just one of the Villa Park codes that would prevent building a tiny home within the corporate boundaries. The two-car garage mandate was mentioned in a recent Crain’s Chicago Business article on tiny homes. The article also highlighted a recent push by a local couple who wishes to construct a tiny home in Villa Park and an Elgin company that manufactures tiny homes. Both the couple and the company are seeking changes in local zoning ordinances that would allow the tiny homes in Villa Park. Specifically, the developer known

as “Titan Tiny Homes” is looking for approval to build 12 such homes on a 12,500 square foot parcel of land. Typical single family houses in Villa Park sit on 60’ x 160’ lots or larger, averaging about 9000 square feet. Also, tiny homes typically use chemical toilets and solar power or generators for electricity. In many respects these homes are much like recreational vehicles (RVs) and indeed Titan Tiny Homes are built to RV standards and designed to be movable. The Villa Park Planning & Zoning Commission is scheduled to meet on Thursday, Nov. 9. According to Village Director of Community Development Patrick Grill, the P&Z Commission will begin discussions to determine if tiny homes would be a fit for Villa Park and what changes would need to be made in order to allow them. Leasing out ‘lots’ of about 400 to 500 square feet to put tiny homes on is one idea forwarded by the developer. Buying an odd-shaped lot that isn’t suitable for traditional home building and then constructing a permanent tiny home on the land is another option. What type of utility services, parking requirements, street and sidewalks, yard set-backs, sprinkler and emergency services access and many other issues will need to be adjusted or waived before tiny homes become a reality, according to Village officials. “You also need to think about potential effects on property values,” one local real estate agent said. “I don’t know if tiny homes will increase, decrease or have no effect on existing property values. “The concept is very new. I guess we’ll see.”

Inside:

Police Reports...........6 Sports �������������������� 16 Worship Directory....7 Classifieds..........19-20

Deer Grove Leisure Center 1000 W. Wood St. 630-766-7015 bensenvilleparkdist rict.org

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2017

PAUL DELGUIDICE PHOTO Villa Park Independent

Villa Avenue welcomes trick-or-treaters

(From left): ‘Princess’ Ella, 7, joins her Mom Denise, while Gabby holds little 9-month-old ‘Latte’ Madeline, next to Patti with ‘Espresso’ Charlotte, 2. In front is 4-year-old Mateo, dressed as ‘Chase’ from Paw Patrol. The group trudged up and down Villa Ave. to trick-or-treat on Saturday, Oct. 28, despite the rainy, cold weather. More photos inside.

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