San Diego officials say they plan to start allowing tiny mobile homes in backyards across the city, to help address the local homeless crisis and affordable housing crisis.The tiny houses, which are similar to granny flats but smaller, can be built more quickly and cheaply than outbuildings and will create a new source of low-cost housing, without any government subsidy, city officials said. .“I think this is a good, common-sense solution that offers some possibilities for unsubsidized, market-rate housing,” Councilman Scott Sherman said Wednesday during a meeting of the council's Housing and Land Use committee.“It is one small step in dealing with our housing crisis.”The committee voted unanimously to direct City Attorney Mara Elliott to draft an amendment to San Diego's municipal code that would allow small mobile homes as long as owners adhere to a long list of restrictions and requirements."I think it's a good idea," Councilwoman Jennifer Campbell said."Let's do it."San Diego will join several other cities that have started allowing tiny mobile homes, including Denver, Fresno and San Luis Obispo.Other cities considering this option include Los Angeles, Sacramento and Oakland.Nationwide, the tiny house movement began as an attempt to downsize and live more simply, often with less environmental impact.In recent years it has grown thanks to TV shows like Tiny House Nation, and some cities and nonprofit agencies are turning into tiny houses for low-income or homeless families.Under San Diego's proposed regulations, tiny mobile homes would be between 150 and 430 square feet in size.They would have fire-resistant roofs and would have to be connected to sewage, water and electricity.Although the tiny mobile homes have wheels, city officials said, they're not like a conventional trailer or RV.Instead, they are built like a traditional house, with an interior space adapted to daily life.They cannot be rented for less than 30 days at a time, so they cannot be used as vacation rentals.The owners would not have to provide an on-site parking spot for the tiny house.They would have to be registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles, but they will not be able to move around on their own.And the wheels could not be removed as they were necessary to support the structure.Although the tiny houses are potential competition, the local development community is supportive of the effort.“Everyone agrees that the old ways of doing things are not going to get us out of this crisis,” said Matt Adams, vice president of the local chapter of the Building Industry Association."It's creative, it's innovative, and there are other jurisdictions around the nation exploring it."A homeowner can have a small mobile home installed on their property in 30 to 45 days, much less time than the six to 18 months it normally takes to add an attached home or granny flat, said Barrett Tetlow, chief of staff for the councilman. Sherman.The process takes less time because tiny mobile homes are prefabricated and then shipped to owners, while granny flats are typically site-built and require a longer approval process.Tetlow said a tiny house will cost about $85,000 in total, compared to $100,000 and $150,000 for an attached home, which is typically between 500 and 1,000 square feet in size.With tiny houses renting for an estimated $900 a month, Tetlow said, a homeowner would recoup his initial investment in about eight years.After that, the rent from the tiny house could help cover the mortgage payment or other expenses.Tiny houses would become a new rung on the housing ladder, rising above homelessness and potentially above low-income subsidized housing, Tetlow said.“It's a win for the landlord, it's a win for the renter and it's a win for the taxpayer because we don't need any subsidy for the affordable unit,” he said.Municipal authorities have relaxed the rules for granny flats in recent years, leading to more than 450 owners successfully obtaining a permit for an annex house since 2017.But many homeowners balk at the cost and time it takes to get approvals and build a granny flat.Tetlow said tiny houses could be an attractive alternative for these homeowners.Sherman said he expects the committee to vote on the municipal code change that allows tiny houses by the end of the year.The full City Council is expected to approve the new policy in early 2020.Receive the latest news in Spanish Monday, Wednesday and Friday.Subscribe to our newsletterOccasionally, you may receive promotional content from the San Diego Union-Tribune en Español.To ensure that the San Diego Union-Tribune en Español remains healthy and robust, your donation, in any measure, is now more important than ever.Help us continue to inform the community.To donate click on the logo.Privacy Policy Privacy Policy Terms of Service Sign Up For Our Newsletters