Ground could break soon for Augusta’s first tiny home community

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The community of tiny homes is continuing to push forward.

Augusta leaders approved the project a couple of months ago, and we could soon see shovels in the ground this year.

“They wanted to bring people in and activate the space. For them, that meant creating functions where people could gather,” said Joy Newberry with McMillan Pazdan Smith.

Bridge Builder Communities is working with McMillan Pazdan Smith to plan and design a tiny home village on Merry Street.

Jackson Drumgoole, Executive Director of Bridge Builder Communities, said: “There are 11,000 young adults in the child protective services in the state of Georgia with hundreds aging out year after year. We want to make sure that these young adults are able to transition successfully into adulthood and move into independence.”

The faces behind the ideas of what this project should look like are from 13 McMillan Pazdan Smith interns located at different studios they have in the southeast.

“It wasn’t just about design,” said Kamand Taherkhani, intern with McMillan Pazdan Smith. “It was truly meaningful and I’m just glad to be a small part of this project.”

Last summer interns focused on the design of tiny homes. Now they’re working on what the community building will look like.

“This community building that we specifically worked on drew in the residents of this place and made it feel like it’s your back porch and that you’re gathering and creating that quality time with your neighbor and your people,” said Caylin Breakfield, intern with McMillan Pazdan Smith.

Newberry is a foster parent herself and says getting the interns involved really makes a difference because they’re helping people the same age as them.

“They were able to come in and say what are the services that I would need,” said Newberry. “What would I like to see if I were experiencing this at some time in my life and bring in an insight we might be missing.”

The goal now is to choose the best ideas from all of the interns and create an updated plan for community building.

They hope to have the tiny homes completed next summer.

To learn more or to donate, visit Bridge Builder Communities’ website.

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