DeLand adopts tiny‑home zoning and building code changes to allow small‑scale communities

The DeLand City Commission voted Oct. 20 to allow tiny‑home communities in select residential and commercial districts and to adopt corresponding building‑code standards.

Planning Director Carol **** told the commission the package — developed since 2023 with workshops, planning‑board review and public outreach — defines a ‘tiny‑home community’ as three or more units (200–600 square feet) on a permanent foundation, limits projects to a maximum of 20 units per acre and two acres per project, and requires design standards intended to preserve neighborhood character. "Form‑based code looks less at what's happening on the inside, and more how the buildings relate to the street," Carol **** said during her Code Talk presentation.

The regulations set a parking standard of one space per unit plus 0.25 guest spaces, clustered where feasible, and permit certain transitional‑housing configurations including shared kitchens for paired independent living areas. Staff mapped eligible parcels concentrated within walking distance of transit and the core gateway, saying the locations were chosen to put housing where services and transit access already exist.

Commissioners debated several technical points — how loft space counts toward square‑foot thresholds, whether multiple adjacent projects could be linked to create large developments, and spacing to avoid local clustering. Commissioner Kevin Reed asked for spacing limits to prevent proliferation and suggested a 1,000‑foot spacing rule; staff said it could be returned as an amendment based on commission direction. City building‑code officials confirmed that Appendix Q (the tiny‑house code) defines tiny homes as under 400 square feet for the building‑code determination, and loft area treatment differs between the local LDR and Appendix Q.

Supporters, including the Neighborhood Center and faith‑based partners, described tiny homes as a pathway to transitional housing and said programmatic supports (case management, strict program rules, and partnerships with service providers) would accompany developments. Savannah Griffin, CEO of the Neighborhood Center, told the commission the organization and church partners are prepared to provide on‑site case management and services to support residents.

After public comment and deliberation, the commission approved the land‑development ordinance (Ordinance 2025‑16) and the companion building‑code amendment (Ordinance 2025‑17, adding Appendix Q) on second reading. The city clerk recorded the roll‑call votes for Ordinance 2025‑16 and for Appendix Q adoption; both motions carried.

The city plans additional public workshops and check‑ins during code‑update milestones and will return to the commission for direction on significant paradigm shifts in the Land Development Regulations. The adopted standards are now part of the DeLand Code and the Florida Building Code Appendix Q will govern construction and technical tiny‑home building requirements.