In Carbon Hill, Alabama this week, the City Council heard about a possible plan from developers to use a couple of old manufactured home plant facilities to make small-sized homes, aka “tiny houses.”
Charles Phillips, his son, Charles T. Phillips, and Jim Clark spoke to the council about their plans.
According to the Daily Mountain Eagle, Mayor Mark Chambers indicated the developers have not asked for financial help from the council for the business, which could employ as many as 500 over a 10-year period.
“Really, all they would need from the city council would be approval to sell them the permit to build the homes,” said Chambers. “They just need approval of a business license or whatever.”
In addition to providing jobs, Charles Phillips shared additional details on the vision for the homes.
“What we’re proposing is to build little tiny houses. It is not a mobile home [sic]. It is an actual house that will be built. We have foundation specs that they will be set and an anchored to,” said Phillips.
“So it is not a mobile home [sic]. It is not a Jim Walters home. It is a prefinished tiny home for low-income people, disabled people and people who want to rent them out to people.”
Phillips also noted that city officials reviewed rough drawings of the plans during the meeting, but that blueprints are not ready yet.
“Basically, we are looking at getting the Dover building, or possibly the Arrow building, and employ to start with maybe 120 people by the end of the year,” said Phillips.
“That would create a lot of jobs in the Carbon Hill area. We’re looking at all the labor and people from Carbon Hill to help income in Carbon Hill.”
The trio of developers looked at several other cities, including Jasper, Oakman and Townley Parrish.
They feel Carbon Hill is the answer.
“Here is really where we want to do the business at,” said Phillips.
While they are actively developing plans, the developers approached the council now to see where they can go at this point.
“I would like, once this is up and running, would like to have at least 500 people working. It is like Mr. Phillips said, everybody going to Jasper,” said Clark.
“All of the outlining communities are being left out.”
City officials said the 500 figure could also depend on various factors, including how many local residents will work and how many will want to commute to the plant.
The developers are officially calling the homes “efficient living houses,” with the smallest homes, designed for the homeless and the veterans, measuring 16×12, while larger units will measure 394 square feet.
For more on the “tiny house” movement, including a proposal to utilize the homes as an affordable housing solution in Chilmark, Massachusetts, click here. ##
(Image credits are as shown above.)
Submitted by RC Williams to the Daily Business News for MHProNews.
