TaMaryn Waters

Democrat staff writer

The wealthy CEO, who bankrolled the new West Pensacola Street homeless shelter and other high-profile developments, is jumping on a new trend — tiny houses.

Rick Kearney believes this new trend could help ease Tallahassee's affordable housing plight. These downsized domiciles are growing in popularity and featured on hit shows like "Tiny House Hunters" and "Tiny House, Big Living" on HGTV.

Kearney is proposing a $7.8-million concept he's calling "The Dwellings." It's a "tiny house" community with homes ranging from 250 to 400 square feet on 30 acres next door to Wolf Creek, a subdivision of 200 townhouse units off Blountstown Highway. They'd be sustainable and built with shared areas powered by solar panels. Communal spaces would include on-site community services, an organic garden, greenhouse and a community center.

The first phase of the development would see two dozen homes built and 130 units once it's complete. Kearney said no other city has a tiny house community dedicated to addressing affordable housing.

Yet his "tiny house" idea is creating colossal controversy.

Condominiums would be fine, Yolanda Hue and many Wolf Creek neighbors contend. They favor a traditional condo design with stacked units, not tiny houses with shared communal areas geared toward low-income and potentially homeless residents. And they've taken legal action to challenge the plan.

"I was devastated when I heard this news,” said Hue, who purchased her home eight months ago. "It’s like an omission of the truth. An omission, in my opinion, is deceitful."

NIMBY appears to be at the root of the controversy

Hue and others said they are concerned about who might live in the new development.

She said residents were initially told there was no guarantee sex offenders or those with a criminal history couldn't be in the community when they met project backers a few months ago.

But, Kearney said potential residents will be strictly screened. In hindsight, he said the early messages about the project should have been handled with more transparency and information. He said early talks with residents included a "technical team and not a public relations team" and that resulted in "gross misinformation."

His hope is to create housing options for low-income residents, such as single mothers, senior citizens, retired school teachers or recovering drug addicts, who have struggled to obtain affordable housing.

Kearney is convinced the project will help ease Tallahassee's homeless population. He built the new homeless shelter on West Pensacola Street, and he's alarmed by the endless cycle some residents find themselves in when trying to stretch money for housing.

The average apartment rent in Tallahassee is $1,050 per month, according to an October 2015 report by the former Economic Development Council of Tallahassee/Leon County. The Dwellings would cost an estimated $400 per month, including utilities.

“There’s no way you can move into any apartment in Tallahassee while working on your kid’s issues and your own issues and maintain some sort of a job. The math doesn’t work,” Kearney said of low-income families. "We want this to be a permanent home for people."

Legal action

Yet, as of this week, mixed messages continue to leave the Hues and others unsettled.

A meeting with Wolf Creek and surrounding neighbors has been scheduled for 6 p.m. April 14 at the Fort Braden Community Center.

"He’s not defining a clear population, which is a problem in itself," Hue said, regarding information provided to residents. "It’s a scary thought because no one is giving clear answers ... I deserve fair treatment in how these things are handled."

In addition, some residents think Leon County rubber stamped the project. The first phase of the development would see two dozen homes built and 130 units once it's complete.

"This became a legal matter because the neighbors challenged the county’s decision to conditionally approve the site plan,” said Jessica Icerman, the county's assistant attorney who oversees land use issues.

Icerman said the county received an appeal on March 7, which led it to contract with the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH) so an administrative judge can weigh in on the issue.

DOAH received a request for a formal proceeding. The request was made by the Wolf Creek Homeowners Association, J.P. Lepez and adjacent property owners Carol Smith, Michael and Elizabeth Urban against the Leon County Department of Development Support and Environmental Management and Floresta LLC., a company created by Kearney to build the tiny house community.

Icerman said DOAH scheduled a final hearing, which is open to the public, for April 27 and April 28. The administrative judge has 30 days to make a recommendation. The county will then have another 30 days to schedule a public hearing. Next, the County Commission would review the judge's order, and commissioners would make one of three decisions on the project: approve it, approve it with conditions or deny it.

Sustainability praised

Despite mounting concerns, the project was lauded during the city's recent Sustainable YOU Conference.

Anthony Gaudio attended and raved about the project's potential. The Dwellings fulfills a community need.

"Whether it happens in the location they are having it in or not, it’s something that the community can really benefit from," said Gaudio, immediate past president of Sustainable Tallahassee. "This ticks all of the boxes ... I’m excited about it.”

Gaudio gave high points for the project's plans to use solar panels and as few resources as possible, putting less burden on the environment.

Kearney, CEO of Mainline Information Systems, said The Dwellings will be built to look like an upscale community. Think Seaside in South Walton or Southwood in Tallahassee, he said.

While the buildings may be attractive, some question what will happen to the nearby neighborhood if the project moves forward. Hue and others point to the new homeless shelter, named after Kearney. They're terrified trash and loitering that has plagued the shelter's surrounding areas will descend on their quiet neighborhood.

Kearney, however, told the Tallahassee Democrat: "This is going to be totally different."

Not so fast

If approved, The Dwellings would be the first major development project in the area in nearly a decade. Kearney said "development leads to development," which could spur more economic activity in the area.

But residents say they'll need greater reassurance before they are sold on the idea. Overall safety is a huge issue.

"It is not fair," Hue said. "I shouldn’t have to worry if I walk my dog at 2 a.m. and wonder if it’s going to be safe. You’re displacing one group to help another group. You have to put a community like that somewhere if doesn’t affect the quality of life in that community."

Contact TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com or follow @TaMarynWaters on Twitter.