Tiny Home Village Development

Volusia County is requesting proposals from qualified non-profit developers to design, develop, and construct a tiny home village on 6.7 acres in Orange City, Florida, with proposals due August 26, 2026 and a mandatory pre-solicitation conference on August 6, 2026. Respondents must be non-profit entities, though they may partner with for-profit entities for specific project components. The County encourages Disadvantaged Business Enterprise participation through outreach and self-certification in accordance with federal and state requirements, but this is not a set-aside.

The scope requires development of a minimum of 25 tiny home units ranging from 300 to 800 square feet each, with four units completed within 36 months and the remaining 21 within 44 months from execution of the developer agreement. A minimum of 75% of units must serve households at or below 80% of Area Median Income; 5% must be accessible for mobility impairments and 2% for hearing and vision impairments. All development must comply with Florida Building Code, Davis-Bacon Act prevailing wage requirements, HUD Housing Quality Standards, Energy Star efficiency standards, Section 3 requirements, and Build America, Buy America provisions. Each home lot requires a minimum 50-year ground lease to ensure perpetual affordability. The site currently includes one gopher tortoise burrow requiring preconstruction survey before ground-disturbing activities.

Funding totals approximately $1.894 million, comprising $1.2 million in HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds (maximum $75,000 subsidy per HOME unit), up to $10,000 in pre-development reimbursement, and the donated property valued at approximately $684,000–$700,000. Respondents must provide a 25% match of total project cost through private financing or in-kind donations. County impact fees may be deferred under a 20-year affordability Declaration of Restrictive Covenant; City impact fees remain subject to City requirements.

Proposals are evaluated on a 100-point scale with a 70-point minimum passing score, weighted across affordability (15 points), developer experience and capacity (15 points), financial feasibility (15 points), site and unit design (15 points), implementation timeline (10 points), property management plan (10 points), community engagement (10 points), and compliance (10 points). Questions are due August 12, 2026. Pricing must remain firm for 90 days from the solicitation opening date and include all FOB destination charges. The County is exempt from federal excise tax and Florida sales tax. Respondents must carry comprehensive insurance including workers' compensation, commercial general liability with $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate, auto liability, excess liability, builders risk, and professional liability, all with $1 million limits, naming Volusia County as additional insured.