Fresno wants to build 25 affordable tiny homes and is looking for developers
The City of Fresno is soliciting proposals from developers to build 25 tiny homes, potentially joining the dozens of U.S. cities that have turned to micro dwellings in recent years to speedily create more affordable housing.
The Planning and Development Department released a request for proposals Nov. 26 inviting qualified developers to submit sites for the tiny homes. Once the city selects a developer, it would fund construction through Community Project Funding, awarded to Fresno in April 2022, while the developer would own and operate the homes.
The tiny homes aim to serve residents who have been recently homeless, with eligibility limited to households with an average income at or below 30% of the area median income, Phil Skei, Fresno’s Assistant Director of Planning and Development, told The Bee.
All units would be income-restricted for 30 years.
Tiny home communities have existed on a small scale for decades to combat homelessness. In recent years, the model has gained momentum in cities across the country for its lower costs, quicker construction and potential to offer residents more freedom compared to other traditional housing solutions.
The city’s RFP is also the latest example of how Fresno’s civic and faith leaders are pursuing the construction of smaller units to build more homes for residents who face housing insecurity.
The Westside Church of God will lease a one-acre parcel of its property to the Southwest Fresno Development Corporation to build a village of 21 small cottages for seniors in west Fresno. That project, which is part of the Yes in God’s Backyard national movement, will reserve the units for seniors whose earnings are at or below 60% of the area’s median income. Organizers hope to have the first phase of the development, which includes eight of the units, completed by the end of 2026.
In 2023, the City Council approved a grant of $964,482 in federal pandemic relief funds for the Poverello House, a nonprofit offering food, shelter, and comprehensive social services in Fresno, to construct 26 tiny houses to become permanent housing for unhoused people.
Some of the nation’s longest-running tiny home communities are in Portland. A 2022 survey found that homeless people in the Portland area were largely satisfied with tiny homes.
The 25 homes would be built using the city’s pre-approved plans, making each unit approximately 340 square feet, with a studio and one bathroom layout, according to the RFP.
By using the preapproved plans, the project will benefit from a streamlined permitting timeline and reduced design costs, according to the RFP.
Proposals from individuals, companies or nonprofits must be submitted by Jan. 30.
The review and evaluation of proposals is estimated to take around 60 days after the deadline. The goal is to bring an agreement or multiple agreements to the city council within 90 days of the bid period closing, Skei said.