Home / News / Urbanito Expands to Include Tiny Home Project

Urbanito Expands to Include Tiny Home Project

by Mike Van Houten / Mar 20, 2017

Urbanito, located on the corner of Mill Street and Holcomb, has expanded to include a group of at least three tiny homes. 

This project is now in Plan Review at the City of Reno. 

The project is in response to the housing crisis, and the project is described as: 

"an affordable housing crisis here in Reno!  In response to an overwhelming outcry for a nice home to rent in a great location we have created wee6.  An amazing prototype of housing targeting those who can only afford less than $850 month in rent and ALL utilities (including free wifi), yet want their own yard, a safe atmosphere AND a most super cool modern home to live in.   Welcome to wee6---six wee size homes to be built at our Urbanito block at Mill and Holcomb"

You can read more about Urbanito and wee6 (cutest name ever for a housing project) by clicking this link, including seeing renderings and a site map layout. I am guessing this will occupy the empty vacant lot just south of Atomik Office Suites and Whipple Distillery, but north of the gorgeous set of bungalow homes Haberae renovated/restored.

Their other tiny home project, Tiny Ten, has sold out, and has a significant waiting list. So any criticism that this is not a desired project in Reno is debatable. You can find out more info about Tiny Ten by clicking here. 

Tagged under: downtown Reno | permits | Haberae | wee6 | downtown Reno residential |
Post your comments
  • Ronnie
    March 20, 2017 - 3:11:27 PM

    Great, but it's going to take more than 3 houses to rectify housing crisis here.

  • Ronnie
    March 20, 2017 - 3:14:20 PM

    And more than 10.

  • Walter H
    March 20, 2017 - 5:04:07 PM

    A 600 sq/ft house at almost $400 sq/ft is, IMHO, not a solution to affordable housing. A new 1000 sq/ft house at $200 sq/ft is a real solution, at least by current Reno standards. That size home at that price point is the real challenge here. I hope the new owners are happy, but these types of dwellings, at this price point, seems like a very poor investment to me. Now get off my lawn.

  • H.E.
    March 20, 2017 - 7:22:46 PM

    HabeRae does good work. It's a shame we chose instead to knock down the motels and erect more burning man butterflies than work with them to provide cool/affordable housing. These wee6 look more affordable as well than their Tiny10. I may not know much about the sewer connection fees, RTC fees, land costs and other cost factors, but 250K for a Tiny House is not what I would pay. I love the idea of tiny houses/living, but one of the benefits should be cost, I think I would pay about 80-100k, and that explains why I don't even own a regular house, Reno Real Estate is akin to selling Pabst at Cristal prices.

  • Bungalow Hugger
    March 21, 2017 - 9:10:27 PM

    Tiny Ten are priced at just over $300 per square foot for brand new, energy efficient construction, solar panels and top of the line full size kitchens. It is not possible to build these for $100,000. 70 and 80 year old homes in Midtown are approaching the $300 per square foot mark. Average price per square foot for an older home under 1000 sq ft in southwest Reno is now $291 per sq ft. Tiny homes aren't for everyone but they are a good value and practical solution for many.

  • H.E.
    March 22, 2017 - 6:24:04 PM

    Yeah, and the newer homes in South Meadows are around $200 per sq ft, You have to ask yourself what exactly are you trading for with these tiny homes. Yes they're more energy efficient (by size alone), and in-town. Living with less shouldn't cost more just because it is the fad of the times. I don't want a +2700 sq ft house in the 'burbs, and at the same time I sure as hell don't want an overpriced hut. I want affordability, and I'll just be biding my time until the next bust.

  • Walter H
    March 22, 2017 - 8:41:08 PM

    Mr. Bungalow Man brings up an interesting point - "that's the way prices are going here". The last RE bubble here in Reno was driven by poor lending standards and hence way to much "loanable" (not sure that is a word) money in play. The bubble we have now, if we do have one (I say yes) is the "expectation of a boom town bubble". You read all this stuff in the paper (mostly warmed over press releases from EDAWN) that Tesla and Apple and maybe even Jesus H Christ hisself are all opening a facility here. The problem is that these are mostly factory jobs, $25 bucks an hour best case scenario, and none of those folks can really afford the housting prices that Mr. Bungalow Man so proudly explains and justifies to us. It is what it is. Hang on kiddos . Paraphrasing here, but history not understood tends to repeat itself.

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