New State Chapter Leader for Virginia

by | Apr 13, 2019 | ATHA News | 6 comments

We are delighted to welcome Melanie Copeland as a new ATHA State Chapter Leader for Virginia.

A tiny house dweller herself, Melanie has spent the last year coordinating meetings, gathering information and connecting tiny dwellers to help search for and provide legal options for tiny homes all across Virginia.

In other words, she’s already been doing this job for a while now.

Virginia has been a tough nut to crack for tiny house legalization. For nowMelanie will be heading up ATHA’s pilot project to see if we can get more existing campgrounds and RV parks in the state to become tiny house friendly.

Here’s a note from Melanie:

“Tiny houses are part of our future, as a current tiny dweller in the Commonwealth of Virginia I want to ensure that legal parking for tiny dwellers is achieved. Assuring safe and legal parking is close to my heart and something that I have personally experienced. I love the ability to live tiny and free..we just need the legality! “

6 Comments

  1. KPontheroad
    KPontheroad on 07/30/2019 at 12:04 pm

    Hi Melanie — Karen and I are leaning into the tiny house movement, having built ours this past year but getting derailed by circumstances (family and employment related) that have impacted our involvement. We have a link to activity begun in the Annapolis, MD area with the planning folks there and have talked in terms of a POC somewhere in the surrounding county (Anne Arundel) where the city has excess property that could be developed and sold or leased for the right purpose. They have some info on the Appendix Q and we share changing norms in other communities around the country. City limits Annapolis is a hotbed of NIMBY and is also the state capital so a tough nut to crack. Our story was in the paper there recently. https://www.capitalgazette.com/news/annapolis/ac-cn-tiny-house-20190409-story.html

    We are currently in Williamsburg, VA and will be bringing our Tiny House (Agape House) down and storing it in the Williamsburg area while we assist aging parents with assisted living preparation. Have you had any contact with planning and zoning people in this neck of the woods?

  2. jlwright7
    jlwright7 on 08/17/2019 at 9:23 pm

    Hi,

    I am new to the tiny house movement. I live in NoVA and am trying to see what I need to do to live in a tiny house. I am trying to find resources.

    Thanks,
    Jessica W.

  3. Pharocious
    Pharocious on 01/12/2020 at 2:15 am

    That’s great news! I lived in VA for about 3 years for the U.S. Navy and I browsed the laws there and they were incredibly unfriendly towards tiny homes. I ended up buying my first house there. I would’ve chosen tiny home, hands down, if any were available.

Submit a Comment