Augusta OKs tiny homes with big potential impact for area's foster care community

Augusta’s first tiny home community has found a tiny plot of land to help people exit foster care.

The Augusta Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a rezoning request to convert an abandoned park into a community of 25 tiny homes for young adults ages 18 to 25 who have aged out of the foster care system.

The community will be built on a vacant 3.08-acre lot at 1140 Merry St. The site was a city park, named Central Park in 1953, and once included the city parks and recreation department's crafts and ceramics shop. The nonprofit Bridge Builder Communities purchased the site from the Augusta Land Bank in February for $1.

The approval comes over the objections of some nearby residents.

Michael Thurman, who lives near the Merry Street site and owns nearby rental property, brought a petition opposing the rezoning signed by 33 people in the neighborhood.

He acknowledged that the park, now a vacant lot, was underused. “But once it’s gone, it’s gone,” he told commissioners.

A small project: Augusta charity proposes tiny home community for teens aging out of foster care

Thurman said he supports the idea of the community, but this is not the right location. He suggested other locations he considered more suitable.

“We just need to realize that this can be done. And we can help these children without taking this park that has been used by generations,” he said.

Joe Gambill, chairman of the Bridge Builder Communities and a local architect, told commissioners the community would provide support and a home for those leaving foster care. Each single-person home will be built onsite on a slab and will be about 320 square feet – about the size of a garage-and-a-half.

“When you look at our building density, when you add up all the square footage of the building, we’re only using about 6% of the site for buildings,” Gambill said. “We’re maintaining a residential vibe in this neighborhood. We are not coming in and building an apartment complex.

The houses will be fully furnished, and residents can take all the items with them when they leave. While there, residents must have a job or attend school. A manager will live onsite and there will be a community building for programs. Security will be provided.

Before the commission voted, Mayor Garnett L. Johnson said he thinks the program will benefit many people in Augusta.

"We have some great stakeholders, some great home builders who are contributing not only dollars, but also their time and effort toward this," he said. "And I think this is in the best interest of the community."

The vote to approve was 8-0 with two commissioners absent.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Augusta OKs tiny homes to help young adults exiting foster care