COURTNEY McCLURE,
The Standard
UXBRIDGE: Have you ever thought about living in a tiny home or micro-community? What if you didn’t have to leave your hometown?
The principal Designer of Remote Landscape, Adrian Giacca, brought a proposal to Uxbridge town Council on Monday, September 12th. The proposal includes building a few small homes on a sustainable plot of land in town.
“I realized, unfortunately, my hometown is a place I could never dream of affording a home in,” explained Mr. Giacca. His intends to develop affordable housing for the community he grew up in.
Getting a land contribution from the municipality of Uxbridge is the first place to start. “That could come in a variety of different forms that will need further investigation,” added Mr. Giacca. “But, once we get some sort of commitment from the municipality, that opens a lot of doors to collaborate with the province and the federal government.”
There are many opportunities to get funding from the federal government for projects like this as well as many federal grant opportunities available for home ownership.
“Part of this project would be advocate to the federal government to release funding for the development of home ownership with this particular intention,” he said.
The PowerPoint presentation featured a tiny home community of about eight small houses intended for young families with young, school-aged children.
Mr. Giacca described the project as a “case study” of what is able to be done on small, municipal plots of land. The size of the land, in the proposal, would have to be about half an acre; unless more homes are desired.
“What we are trying to demonstrate is ‘gentle density,’ explained Mr. Giacca.
In terms of land usage, Mr. Giacca said he is looking for a piece of municipal property the Township of Uxbridge already owns. At this time, he does not have a project designed specifically for Uxbridge. “It’s really just a delegation to express my interest [in pursuing the project] and tell my story about living and contributing to the community,” explained Mr. Giacca.
Another meeting was scheduled for Mr. Giacca to discuss the proposal further with Township staff and Council. They will be discussing land options and further details about the project.
If you’re interested in learning more, Mr. Giacca has invited interested persons to send him an email. He can be reached at adrian@remotelandscape.com. For more information about Remote Landscape, please visit remotelandscape.com.