Smaller Scale and Multi-Purpose Living: Creative Solutions

By: Dyan Elizabeth Backe, AICP Senior Planner Zoning Section, Planning & Growth Management

With both the economy and environmental sustainability on the minds of many today, creative ideas about work, commuting, and home life are converging.  Some approaches that combine societal, environmental, and economic benefits include:

• Dwelling within a smaller building footprint by building a smaller home or scaling back an existing home.  Figures from the National Association of Home Builders show that the average home size in 1970 was 1,400 square feet.  Environmental and societal benefits for home size reduction include: reduced heating/cooling cost, and more efficient land use pattern that discourages sprawl, encourages habitat/wildlife, rural/agricultural land preservation, neighborhood cohesion, and makes mass transit more viable/cost-effective.  School and park impact fees for homes with smaller square footages are also less.
  
  
• Utilizing or converting a portion of a home for a home-based occupation or profession.   Hillsborough County allows for certain uses to occur within a specified portion of the home after approval of an administratively-reviewed conditional use permit, per County Land Development Code (LDC) 6.11.48. Benefits would include a more efficient land use pattern that discourages sprawl and encourages habitat/wildlife preservation and would also include a reduction in traffic congestion and air pollution.
  
  
• Sharing a home or secondary dwelling on your property with family members such as grandparents.  Societal benefits include: integration of generations, improvements to safety and health for elderly residents, and a more efficient land use pattern.  See the Land Development Code regulation 6.11.02 for more information.
  
  
• Moving into a live/work unit or commercial apartment.  Hillsborough County allows for a commercial building to provide commercial apartments within certain zoning districts, per the LDC regulations 6.11.16. Benefits would be similar to those mentioned above for home occupations.
  
  
• Redesign/reuse of closet areas and garage space.  After reducing the amount of unused items stored in closets, these spaces can be repurposed and redesigned as computer nooks, study areas, extensions of living areas by using them to house electronics such as televisions, etc.  The benefit would be to more efficiently utilize the space within the home to live more comfortably within a small footprint and/or to utilize the space within the home more efficiently.  This is especially important if the home serves many functions for many residents.

For more information about small home design, see The Not So Big House by Sarah Susanka and Simple Homes, Cozy Retreats, and Energy Efficient Possibilities: Little House on a Small Planet by Shay Salomon.

Note: Revised Land Development Code regulations for Home Occupations (home-based businesses) become effective October 1, 2009.  (see link to approved text on page 46, Item M 09-0309) 

Additionally, the commercial apartment regulations are under review and may be revised by the Board of County Commissioners.  If proposed changes are approved by the County Commission, revised text would become effective February 1, 2010.

More information on Land Development Code Amendments and the Review Process

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION:  What is the process for a Zoning Verification request?

A Zoning Verification is a written statement confirming the zoning of an individual or contiguous group of properties.  The fee for the Zoning Verification request is $55.00 which can be paid in the form of a check to the Board of County Commissioners.  The applicant needs to provide the following information to process a Zoning Verification:

• folio number(s) and address(es) of the property or properties
• the entity to whom the letter should be addressed
• the address to which the Zoning Verification should be mailed

Requests are processed within 30 working days from the date of submittal to the Zoning Section of Planning and Growth Management. 

More information and where to request a Zoning Verification