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Commission defers decision on donation of six city lots to Tiny Homes Foundation after questions about size, oversight and resale
Summary
The commission deferred action on donating six city-owned lots to the Tiny Homes Foundation to allow more information: residents and commissioners raised questions about structure sizes, buyer targets, oversight and the low $10 transfer price. The nonprofit’s CEO said homes would target workforce buyers and use state 0%-interest loans.
City of Shawnee commissioners voted to defer consideration of a request to donate six city-owned properties to the Tiny Homes Foundation, a nonprofit that proposed building housing units on city lots and using an Oklahoma housing loan program to finance construction.
Ryan Harkins, Shawnee’s community development director, told the commission the nonprofit approached staff seeking at least five lots to meet eligibility rules for a loan program administered by the Oklahoma Housing Finance Authority. The city identified six available lots (listed on the agenda as: 1407 North Center, 545 North Elm, 535 North Bell, 220 North Oklahoma, 223 South Oklahoma, and 1025 East 10th) and recommended a memorandum of understanding that would transfer them if the nonprofit met construction milestones: building permits within 18 months and certificates of occupancy within 36 months.
Commissioners and residents questioned the proposal’s details at length. Concerns included the size and character of the planned houses (some cited sample floor plans in the packet that showed homes of roughly 2,200 square feet); whether the lots had been appraised and the rationale for the $10 transfer price; whether the nonprofit’s target buyers would be low- or moderate-income households; and whether the city should include stronger resale or completion safeguards in the MOU.
Bobby Robles, president and CEO of the Tiny Homes Foundation, said the organization has prior experience in the region and partners with a modular-home builder, The House Factory, and that his group expects to target workforce housing and keep sales “low profit.” Robles said state loan programs (described in the meeting as a 0% interest loan program set up by recent legislation) would lower construction costs and help keep sale prices affordable. “This project will not be stopped halfway through,” Robles said, adding that the nonprofit’s partner has built thousands of housing units across the state.
Staff confirmed titles on the six parcels were free and clear. Commissioners pressed staff on alternatives: re-advertise lots to local builders, adjust the transfer price above $10 per parcel, or add contractual protections requiring completion or allowing the city to reclaim unfinished projects. A commissioner proposed increasing the nominal transfer price to $3,000 per lot; the record shows that proposal was discussed but no final price change was adopted before the deferral. Ultimately, Commissioner Fickner moved to defer the item to the next meeting; the motion passed 6-0.
Ending
Staff said the MOU can be amended to include additional completion safeguards, pricing changes or other provisions before the item returns. The commission did not approve any property transfers at this meeting; the parcels remain city-owned.
