Where would a tiny home village be built in Peoria? It's complicated

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PEORIA — Members of the Peoria City Council are concerned that a "not in my backyard" mentality could dominate discussions about a potential tiny home village being built in the city as a solution to combat homelessness.
Those concerns were voiced Tuesday night when the council reviewed possible changes to the city building code presented by city staff that would allow for a tiny home village to be constructed. The key piece of information still missing in the minds of council members: Where could this tiny home village be built?
Councilmembers, even those who supported the concept, noted that pushback from nearby residents would be likely, no matter where the village was located.
"It seems like the general sentiment around the horseshoe and not just here but also constituents I've talked to is that 'not in my backyard mentality, everybody is very concerned about where this is going to go," 2nd District councilmember Alex Carmona said.
Denis Cyr, the 5th District councilmember, also worried about how a "not in my backyard mentality" would impact council discussions. Often a fiscal hawk for the council, Cyr raised questions about how a tiny home village would be paid for and the size of the homes themselves.
"We all know what's going to happen when we build those. We're a very giving community but 'not in my backyard. I want to help those people but not in my backyard.' So let's be honest about what we're talking about here tonight," Cyr said. "So I am not very excited about putting anybody I know in a small room like that and then we're all going to get a bunch of phone calls, 'Hey this is a great idea, great idea let's help those people. But not in my backyard.'"
Councilmember Andre Allen, who represents the 4th District, said he is open to learning more about the tiny homes concept in Peoria, but he noted that if it were to be built outside of Downtown Peoria, that would likely put it near a heavy residential area. Allen said there would be "hurdles" to finding the right location in Peoria.
Mayor Rita Ali said Tuesday that she needed more information about the tiny home village, specifically locations where it could be built, before she gave staff any direction on drawing up ordinances. Ali did make clear, again, that she would not support a tiny home village being built in Downtown Peoria.
"For me, it is where are we talking about having tiny homes?" Ali said. "It's hard to change the building codes without knowing where are we talking about having these tiny homes? What comes first, right? I think that's a critical question. Where are the possibilities? I haven't seen that, I don't see that, I don't see that map. Where are those possibilities where it's practical?"
If Downtown Peoria does end up being ultimately ruled out of consideration, the question of where it would be built instead persists in the minds of councilmembers who also recognize that any proposed location will be controversial.
The proposal for a tiny home village in Peoria, which has been led by 3rd District councilmember Tim Riggenbach, would see 32 tiny homes constructed for an estimated cost of $900,000. The annual operating cost for the village would be $300,000 annually, according to estimates by the Dream Center, which would run the operation.
Homes would be roughly 70-square-feet and have heating, air conditioning and on-site laundry, showers and bathrooms. They would serve primarily single adults, specifically those who are not suited for a congregate shelter setting.
More: Could a tiny home village help solve homelessness in Peoria? Here are the arguments
The tiny homes discussion harkens back to the controversial ordinance passed by City Council last November, which effectively made it illegal for homeless people to set up tents and live on public land. In the time since that ordinance has passed, the city has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to reimburse the non-profit organization LULA, which sheltered those people who had been living in encampments in a local motel.
Funding for that motel project ran out at the end of July. While 60 people who were living at the motel found housing solutions, a handful of others, the exact number of which is disputed, were left with nowhere to go.
Riggenbach, who voted to pass the ordinance last year, has been a champion of the tiny homes concept for months as a possible solution for those who had nowhere to go at the end of the motel project and in the future.
On Tuesday night, Riggenbach said it would be important for the council to be as "united as we can be" on the tiny homes issue, noting that the homelessness issue would not be going away and the problem was a systemic one. He said the city must work toward a goal of reaching "functional zero" on homelessness.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria revisits discussion about tiny home village, but answers elusive
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