Emerald Village

Emerald Village (all photos by me unless noted otherwise)

SquareOne Villages believes everyone deserves a safe and stable place to call home. The organization, founded in 2012 by pastor Dan Bryant and others, seeks to bridge the gap between the street and conventional housing with a variety of simple, cost-effective housing options. Following its Opportunity Village pilot project (which consists of transitional micro-housing for otherwise homeless individuals and couples) SquareOne embarked on Emerald Village, a tiny house community located in Eugene’s Whiteaker neighborhood providing permanent, accessible, and sustainable homes for people with very low incomes. By developing Opportunity Village and now Emerald Village, SquareOne is delivering real solutions through innovative means. 

A big part of that innovation is enlisting the help of local architects, designers, and builders to make Emerald Village a reality. The AIA-Southwestern Oregon members and other design professionals who volunteered their efforts each designed one or two of the twenty-two homes or shared communal facilities. All the homes meet code definitions for a “permanent dwelling,” including sleeping and living areas, a kitchenette, and bathroom—all within 160 to 288 square feet per unit.  

Each resident of Emerald Village pays between $250 and $350 to cover their share of the cooperative costs (which pays for rent and includes utilities, maintenance, and operating expenses). They can build equity as $50 of their coop share each month applies to a savings account, which can be cashed out if they choose to move elsewhere. Each resident had a voice in shaping how Emerald Village is operated and managed, creating the foundational sense of ownership on which the village thrives. 

Andrew Heben (still from YouTube video by Homeless Action)

I recently toured the project. My host was Andrew Heben, SquareOne’s project director and himself a resident of Emerald Village. Andrew’s background is in urban planning and design, and includes a stint working with The Urban Collaborative. He’s traveled extensively to study over a dozen tent cities organized by the homeless, and spent time living at one in Ann Arbor, Michigan known as Camp Take Notice. This experience informed his 2011 award-winning thesis in urban planning at the University of Cincinnati. He is the author of Tent City Urbanism: From Self-Organized Camps to Tiny House Villages, based on his extensive field work, personal research, and hands-on experience with SquareOne. 

I found Emerald Village remarkably picturesque, albeit pint-sized. The cluster of varied structures is truly village-like, shaping an assortment of pleasant outdoor spaces shared by the residents. 

I asked Andrew whether he considers the tiny home village concept to be a superior means to address the problem of housing affordability when compared to multi-unit apartment buildings, cooperative housing, or SROs. “Emerald Village is simply an alternative, it isn’t necessarily better,” he said. “What’s important is rethinking the problem of affordability and scale, and involving residents in the final design and construction of their homes.” 

Tiny homes are not truly inexpensive (economy of scale is lacking, and the SquareOne model relies heavily upon donated labor & materials, and an absence of debt), they are small (they are, after all, tiny houses), and not for everyone (Emerald Village’s residents include individuals and couples, but no families with children). No matter: for the inhabitants of Emerald Village, what’s most important is that each is a place they can afford and proudly declare as theirs. 

Andrew Heben of SquareOne Villages (left) and resident Bruce Sedgwick outside of Bruce's home, Unit C.

During my visit, Andrew and I chatted with one of Emerald Village’s pioneering residents, Bruce Sedgwick. His home—Unit C—features a hallmark common to all of the village’s tiny houses: individuality. Bruce’s home is truly his. He enjoyed providing input during the design phase (Bergsund Delaney Architecture & Planning PC designed Unit C), and he’s equally enjoying the process of “home improvement” now that he’s moved in. His current project is an expansion of his front porch using a type of patio paver that can be filled with grass, crushed rock, or sand to provide a permeable, durable, and usable surface. 

I peeked inside Unit C. “Tall, isn’t it?” Bruce asked rhetorically. Indeed, it is. The loftiness of the main living space relieves its otherwise petite dimensions. Above the bathroom and kitchenette is Bruce’s sleeping loft, accessible via a ship’s ladder. Like the other Emerald Village houses, Unit C is definitely cozy, but it is practical and full of charm. Bruce did lament the absence of indoor places in which to stow away his belongings, but also noted the generous storage room he can access from outside. 

Unit C interior

Andrew mentioned how one of the obstacles to creating a tiny home village has been Oregon’s residential building code, which mandates minimum room sizes and specifies acceptable stair configurations. The State recently adopted the 2018 International Residential Code (IRC), which includes Appendix Q for Tiny Houses. The new code provides relief from some of the provisions that were applicable to conventional housing but impractical for tiny homes. The new code will certainly ease the acquisition of building permits for future tiny home developments in Oregon like Emerald Village. 

Those fortunate enough to be housing-secure can easily misjudge how the lack of affordable housing impacts our entire community. Rather than fearing the housing affordability challenge and the change it portends, we need to confront it to help low-income individuals find permanent housing and preserve the qualities we find most attractive about life in Eugene. 

Andrew stressed the importance of communication with neighborhood associations and involving them in the planning for projects like Emerald Village. Significantly, a long-time neighbor of the development site served as a member of the Emerald Village resident selection committee. Inclusive communication from the beginning helped to allay concerns. Notably, the plans for Emerald Village didn’t trigger a public input process because the development was allowed outright under the current R-2 zoning for the site.(1) 

Now nearing completion, Emerald Village stands as its own best ambassador. It has cachet in spades. Downsizing and simple living may be fashionable trends but the environmental and social merits of tiny houses and living with less give them real staying power. In a sense, SquareOne has captured lightning in a bottle by capitalizing on the popularity of tiny homes, paving the way for broader acceptance of developments like Emerald Village within other established neighborhoods and communities. 

One Village, Many Hearts mural by artist Kari Johnson

I asked Andrew if he might change anything for SquareOne’s future projects. “No, not really,” he answered. “We can always do things more efficiently. We do like the organic process we employ.” Regarding future projects, SquareOne has Cottage Village in the works. Located in Cottage Grove, Cottage Village follows the permanent, affordable tiny house community model pioneered by Emerald Village. The new project will consist of 13 tiny houses and the conversion of an existing shop building to include a community gathering area, kitchen, and laundry. 

Too many people with low incomes lack the security, the predictability, and the comfort that comes with one’s own house, which is why the efforts of non-profit organizations like SquareOne Villages are so important and appreciated. Emerald Village is proof our community is prepared to welcome a safe, livable, and affordable tiny-housing development. The project is a brilliant and inventive example for others to follow. 

(1)  Only 6% of the land zoned for residential use in the City of Eugene is zoned as R-2, compared to 91% zoned for R-1.