CARRBORO, NC -- Community gathered on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, for the groundbreaking of tiny homes– Pee Wee Homes -- on a small parcel of land at 106 Hill Street, across from Henry Baldwin Park.
The nonprofit Pee Wee Homes https://peeweehomes.org/homes/ will build the three small detached home units and ensure they remain affordable. These will be built as rental housing for individuals with extremely low incomes (those with an area median income of less than 30%) who have experienced homelessness and housing insecurity.
The 0.17-acre property on the corner of Lloyd and Broad streets across was one of three properties owned by the Town of Carrboro that were identified for potential affordable housing use. The other two Town-owned properties are located on Pathway Drive and Crest Street. Town staff have been directed to explore possibilities for these properties.
The Town conveyed the Hill Street property to Pee Wee Homes with a deed restriction that the property remains for affordable housing for 99 years. Following a tremendous show of community support, the Carrboro Town Council voted unanimously in June 2021 to approve a rezoning needed to build three small units at this location.
“Seven years ago, a group of us came together with Pee Wee and many other friends thinking there must be ways to build smaller, efficient, quality homes that can help fill that need – to live independently but connected, in communities of support,” said Hudson Vaughan, interim director of Pee Wee Homes. “And to partner with churches and local governments to build on underutilized land in creative ways and to take a small role in addressing this affordable housing crisis.”
The affordable housing project received grants from the Town of Carrboro in the amount of $100,000 with additional funding from the Orange County HOME program, the Northside Neighborhood Initiative, and donations from individuals.
One of the three homes will be built by Hope Renovations, a non-profit pre-apprenticeship training program for women to help them enter or continue in construction trades. The other two homes will be built by New Start Development, a minority-owned contracting business led by Greg Mann. Thanks to the generosity of local donors, all three homes will include solar panels.
Photo caption – The Hill Street Groundbreaking included presentations from Hudson Vaughan, interim director of Pee Wee Homes; George Barrett, executive director of the Jackson Center; Carrboro Mayor Damon Seils; Mellicent O’Blythe, board chair of Pee Wee Homes; Loretta Bryant, resident and board member of Pee Wee Homes; and Katina Welch, a resident support specialist for Pee Wee Homes. Also in attendance were Mayor-Elect Barbara Foushee, Council Member Susan Romaine and many community members.