On March 14 – 16, I attended TinyFest California 2021 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. TinyFests are gatherings for those curious about the tiny-house movement. It is an opportunity for attendees to tour tiny houses and find out what it is like to ‘live tiny’, hear presentations about zoning and building codes, learn about the costs of tiny houses, and meet an amazing community of tiny-house advocates.
This was the third TinyFest I have attended. My first was in Portland, OR in 2018 when I was researching the possibility of building tiny houses on wheels (THOWs) for homeless veterans. I concluded that THOWs were not ready for prime time, because there were few places where one could legally live in a THOW. I attended my second TinyFest at Del Mar in March 2020. The key issue for tiny houses was still the challenge of finding a place to site them.
But, this year’s TinyFest was different. Because of COVID-19, there were fewer exhibitors and attendees this year. But, the mood was more upbeat, because of the progress that has been made on the legalization front. Dan Fitzpatrick, President of the Tiny Home Industry Association, informed attendees that tiny houses are now legal as accessory dwelling units in the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego and a growing number of jurisdictions around the state. Keynote speaker Zack Giffin, host of Tiny House Nation, gave a great presentation on why we need tiny houses as a housing option. Genny Crane of Rebuilding Green and Tiny Now, and Chair of the San Diego chapter of the American Tiny House Association, talked about the possibilities for tiny house communities. Very interesting!