City of Mattoon legalizes compact housing

MATTOON, Ill. (WCIA) — The City of Mattoon is hoping to grow home ownership by shrinking house sizes.

On Tuesday, the city council changed ordinances to legalize compact homes.

Better known as “tiny homes,” these structures are 500-square-feet foundational houses. Mattoon officials say city-owned lots will be prime spots for developers to build on.

Development and Planning Director, Alexander Benishek, said the goal is reducing housing costs for young adults.

“One of the things that I think about is, you know, 31.6% of our housing stock was created before 1939,” Benishek said. “So it’s like, how do we get new homes in our community, and how do we get vacant lots in town back to productive use? And this is a great way to make that happen.”

He also said the city currently has a developer that wants to build 10 compact homes throughout Coles County. Anyone looking to build these will need council approval to get a special use permit.

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