GREEN COVE SPRINGS – As interest mounts for the home building fad known as ‘tiny homes,’ pressure has mounted on local officials on how best to zone them.

The Clay County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to direct planning and zoning staff to make a recommendation on how best to regulate and zone the spread of tiny homes.

There’s a problem, however. There’s no one concrete definition of what makes a tiny home a tiny home.

A structure that is under 500 square feet is generally accepted as a tiny home. There’s been a significant uptick in interest among those hoping to live a cheaper and minimalist lifestyle through the issue of tiny homes in recent years. The tiny house movement has spawned books, websites and the television series “Tiny House Hunting,” which was launched in December 2014 on the FYI cable network.

The interest conflicts with zoning regulations in many counties that have arbitrary rules on development that, generally, attempt to keep property values high.

In 1995, the county passed an ordinance that would force house construction to be at least 750 square feet or larger.

“I’d imagine they thought [anything less] would drive down the price of adjacent houses,” said Ed Lehmen, director of the Planning and Zoning Division for Clay County. “We’re going to have to look at everything” in the land development code, “we’re going to have to go through it with a fine tooth comb.”

Currently, zoning for tiny homes in the county is nonexistent. Would-be homeowners who want to buy a parcel of land and build a tiny home must apply for a Planned Unit Development rezoning – but “I’d be hesitant to grant a PUD for one parcel,” Lehman said.

A developer, however, could apply for a PUD for a housing development that would include homes at different sizes – including tiny homes – and, technically, have his request granted. However there has been nothing of the sort in the county as of yet.

This leaves those looking to develop tiny homes rather frustrated.

“I truly believe that we need to come to a solution for this, we have al this housing and people don’t want to live in big spaces anymore, the cost of living is enough,” said Scott Pike of Fleming Island, who spoke at the April 25 BCC meeting.

Pike runs a Meetup Group of 26 Clay County tiny home enthusiasts who have been advocating for regulations that would allow tiny home construction in Clay County. Pike spoke at a BCC meeting nearly a year ago, but got little action.

This time, however, during commissioner comments, Mike Cella, district one commissioner, proposed the motion to have staff go ahead and research a recommendation.

“Tiny houses are here to stay, some of the communities around us have had a great deal of interest,” Cella said. “I would really like to see us move forward on something in that regard.

At the beginning of the month, Tampa had a sold out venue for tiny home enthusiasts and vendors, so the interest is there, Cella said.

Cella said tiny homes could become a viable alternative to affordable housing, which the county will soon have to confront more aggressively as the county’s population continues to balloon.

Part of the draw of tiny homes comes from cost. Where a home built in a housing development can easily cost upwards of $100,000, a tiny home can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 if the owner also acts as their own contractor.

Tiny homes are also cheaper to maintain and offer mobility because, often, the homes are placed on wheels to provide for travel.

Because tiny homes are a rather new development in home building, some counties have yet to keep up with the progress. There is, however, significant precedent in Northeast Florida. In St. Johns County, for example, there are no construction standards for development built on a parcel as long as it meets inspection. That does not extend to premade homes.

Cella said the county could follow the lead of other regulations in surrounding counties that have already provided, in some way, for the construction of tiny homes.

A formal recommendation could come to Planning and Zoning Commission as early as June. However, because county zoning officials are currently in the middle of updating the county’s comprehensive plan, it’s more likely a formal tiny house recommendation will come in October. Once approved, it will go to the BCC for final approval.

“I think they can be provided within Clay County, there’s been sufficient interest,” Lehman said. “We have had inquiries from several sources from people that are interested in living in them, it seems to be an uptick.”