Find a way to allow tiny homes

A Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission vote to recommend denial of an application for a tourist home near Milton raises an issue county officials must address. The term tourist home is used in county code, when in reality the application is for a tiny home used as a rental. Sussex County Council will have the final say when it takes the commission's recommendation under advisement during a Tuesday, April 26 public hearing.

The 210-square-foot tiny home at a property along Cave Neck Road has been offered as a short-term vacation rental for nearly two years.

At their March 24 meeting, commissioners said there are no provisions in existing county code for tiny homes because by code definition they are not considered dwellings. In the county, dwellings need permanent foundations, and permanent water and sewer connections. The tiny home, which is a small RV on wheels, does not meet any of the regulations.

Ironically, there are pockets of people living in RVs throughout the county.

With escalating home prices and rentals in the Cape Region, many workers who are crucial to the area’s economy are forced to look elsewhere for housing and commute to their jobs in eastern Sussex County.

Tiny homes are proving to be viable alternatives for affordable housing across the country, and tiny home communities are becoming the norm in many areas.

In Sussex County, tiny homes can be an option for people seeking affordable housing as well.

We commend county officials for enacting the Housing Trust Fund program and proposing a new affordable rental program. Both are important steps toward more affordable housing.

Developing provisions in county code to allow for tiny homes is the next logical step.

Perhaps county council can find a legal way to grant provisional approval of this application while county staff and officials explore avenues to make tiny homes legal.