Colorado Politics

Beloved tiny-home village needs a permanent space, Denver officials say

It’s a one-of-a-kind project. A village of nearly one dozen tiny homes serving Denverites who were once homeless.

The 11-tiny-home Beloved Community Village touts itself as a “democratically self-governed” community giving people without homes a chance to re-establish their place in a community, renew their purpose and restore their dignity, and most importantly, have a place to call home,” according to Beloved’s website.

But while it provides stability for its residents, the village doesn’t yet have permanency. As Denverite’s Andrew Kenney detailed this week, Beloved is a pilot project, bounded by a six-month time limit set by city planners. The village was on its lot temporarily.

Over the weekend, Beloved’s community of  96-square-foot tiny homes had to move about 100 feet with the expiration date looming. The city fast-tracked re-zoning of the new lot, and residents should move back in within the next week, but as Kenney reports, the city would like to establish a permanent location for Beloved.

The whole process struck some council members as unnecessary. Councilman Paul Kashmann suggested on Monday that the law be changed, and several others joined in.

“What is the difference between six months on one site and six months on another site … ?” asked Councilman Rafael Espinoza.

At least four other council members agreed, and none expressed opposition. Council members Albus Brooks, Kevin Flynn and Chris Herndon were not at the meeting. Councilwoman At-large Robin Kniech said the city should make the permits for the village renewable.

Though the city OK’d Beloved’s new location, they’ll likely have to move again, with both the village’s old and new lots slated for development later this year, Denverite reports.

 


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