MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – The Myrtle Beach Planning Commission decided against recommending a tiny house development to City Council on Tuesday.
Jerry Dalton submitted a proposal to the Planning Commission to rezone the 0.41 acre lot that sits right between his home on Woodside Ave, and neighboring commercial property. The lot is currently zoned as “Single Family Home” and Dalton is requesting that it be zoned as “Multi-Use”. He says he would like to build 4-5 homes on the lot, that would be anywhere from 400 to 700 square feet. When Dalton decided he wanted to build tiny houses, he says he his goal was “to make a beautiful little place, that’s tiny, functional. It has to be functional. And easy footprint on the environment. And economic to live in.”
Dalton says the homes would not only be functional for those living in them, but for the neighborhood as well.“The back of the commercial property is somewhat of an eyesore the way it looks. So this would be a really nice transition from residential into that because it would block it.” He built his own house by himself and says he intends to fund and build the tiny homes as well. He’s even in talks with H-G-T-V to build a show around the project, but says that isn’t his main motivation behind it. “When you’re living in a place with not a lot of expenditure, 3 HVAC units, you can enjoy life more, you can get to know your neighbors … We’ll have a little common area out there where people can grill. It’ll be a little community,” says Dalton.
At the Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday, City Planners told Dalton they’re concerned about the lot potentially being used commercially since it’s in a residential area. They’re also worried about fitting so many homes in such a small space. “There’s nothing in the city code that says you can’t do a tiny house on a lot. One of the first things we look at is the difference in density that would be allowed. You have to do a really good design in order for it not to be just a bunch of houses crammed together where they shouldn’t be”, says City Planner Allison Harden.
Dalton told the planning commission he has no intention of using the lot for commercial purposes, but that didn’t ease neighbors’ concerns. “If I knew they were considering small houses in the area, I wouldn’t have bought the lot and built … My opinion, it’s going to downgrade the houses in the area,” said one of his neighbors. Another said, “We don’t feel it’s comfortable to have that in our neighborhood. It’s not what we bought into when we bought our home.”
Even though the Planning Commission will not recommend Dalton’s proposal to City Council, it will still go before Council members at their meeting next Tuesday.
