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Nonprofit pitches veteran tiny‑home village; council agrees to share surplus sites and study zoning
Summary
Redeploying American Veterans proposed a veteran‑focused tiny‑home village with wraparound services. The council received the presentation and directed staff to work with the group on zoning and available city surplus sites and bring the item to the city‑county liaison for county coordination.
Jimmy Plater, founder of Redeploying American Veterans (RAV), presented a proposal to build a tiny‑home village focused initially on veterans and offering wraparound services including case management, job training and financial literacy.
Plater said two potential sites have been identified in preliminary outreach: 1010 Johnson Street (0.46 acres) and a parcel off Westcliffe Road near Bingham Road. He described the RAV model as an "ecosystem approach" that pairs tiny homes with services and employer partnerships; a corporate donor mentioned during the presentation has committed donated units and sustainment funds, Plater said. He proposed half‑acre as a minimum workable site and described an individualized support plan and partner MOAs with the VA and local nonprofits for services.
Council members asked about zoning constraints, unit sizes, duration of stay and how the city could help. Staff and council discussed conditional zoning as a pathway to permit a tiny‑home village and flagged state building code and local ordinances that could affect temporary versus permanent tiny‑home installations. City staff confirmed existing ordinances treat temporary structures and occupancy differently and noted the North Carolina building code is updating tiny‑home standards.
Council voted unanimously to receive the presentation, ask staff to share a list of surplus city properties with RAV, and to have staff and the mayor Pro Tem place the item on the city–county liaison agenda so the county can consider any role in permitting or services. Staff said they will also return with potential zoning modifications or conditional‑use approaches for council consideration.
RAV requested city assistance primarily in locating land and in facilitating zoning/permitting work; Plater said financial operating support is not being requested at this time because of private sustainment commitments. The council asked staff to prepare potential zoning paths and return with options.
