South Whidbey group plans new tiny home village

A tiny house advocate who successfully spearheaded a rental project in Langley has her sights set on creating a new community for homeowners in the Village by the Sea.

Coyla Shepard, founder of Tiny Houses in the Name of Christ, or THINC, is working with several other South Whidbey women to launch a new nonprofit organization that would make tiny homeownership a reality for retirees and retail workers alike.

Known as Whidbey Island Living Legacy – or WILL for short – the organization’s goal is to raise funds for the purchase of land to be used for a tiny home community in Langley, where zoning allows it. Prospective homeowners approved by the board of directors would then purchase their own tiny house.

An upcoming informational meeting about the nonprofit’s mission is planned for 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19 at the fire station on 5579 Bayview Road.

Shepard and board members Donna Slade, Beth Farrell, Erin Leary and Solveig Lee expect that land will be the most expensive part of their endeavor to create more affordable housing options. WILL is seeking to acquire between 2.5 to 10 acres within Langley, the only area on Whidbey Island that has adopted a code for tiny housing.

“The challenge is to work within that footprint and to find what we need,” Leary said. “But we have found some resources at the state level that could be potential funding and grants. But we have to have a property that’s identifiable before we can take that next step.”

Depending on zoning, the city allows multiple tiny homes on a single parcel. This was the case for THINC, which consists of nine 264-square-foot dwellings. The maximum number of tiny homes that can be used as accessory dwelling units also depends on sewer availability.

According to municipal code, the minimum parcel size for a tiny home multifamily unit development is 5,000 square feet. The maximum number of dwelling units allowed is 12 tiny homes.

Shepard’s idea is that in a retirement community like South Whidbey, everyone has money to save, but some can spare it.

“Most of us are not going to need it all, so why not leave your legacy now while you have the joy of seeing it fulfilled?” she said.

As Farrell pointed out, the closure of restaurants and other businesses due to not enough staff who live in the area is an issue that affects everyone. As of Sept. 20, South Whidbey School District had 97 children who were inadequately housed, said Mary Mitchell, the district’s homeless liaison.

With the median home price in Island County being $685,500 as of September 2024 — according to data from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service — owning a tiny house offers an affordable choice equal to the cost of a down payment on a standard home.

“For a kit, $30,000 to $60,000, you can have an incredible house,” Farrell said, adding that she has been striving to find images that show attractive features, such as built-in bookcases and light, airy spaces.

Amazon, Costco and Wayfair are among some of the companies that carry tiny house kits. But owners can also opt to build their own from scratch, which could include using repurposed materials.

Per city code, houses must take up no larger than 400 square feet on the ground, but homeowners could easily add onto that space with a loft, which must not exceed one-third of the ground floor.

Tiny home communities have been growing in popularity, cropping up all over the nation.

“It is the way of the future,” Shepard said. “We built big for a while – big kitchens, big living rooms, big family rooms. Now it’s like, no, that’s too much to keep up, it’s too expensive. People are going smaller.”

The group is hopeful that Island County might adopt a tiny housing code soon so WILL can expand its scope beyond the city limits of Langley.

If there’s one thing Shepard learned from her past tiny home project, it’s to be prepared to figure out the next step ahead of time.

To learn more about WILL or to make a donation, visit whidbeywill.com.