Site-built homes, garages and storage buildings may be allowed in Wildwood’s Simple Life tiny-house community north of County Road 466 and about a half mile west of U.S. 301 in Oxford.

Special Magistrate Lindsay C.T. Holt Tuesday recommended approval of an amendment to the project’s development agreement to allow those amenities. The changes are subject to approval by the city commission, which may take it up later this month.

Gabriel Wahila, Simple Life’s development director, said the changes were requested because of the difficulty in getting supplies for the community’s modular homes.

“They’re still small houses,” he said of the site-built homes. “It just offers a different format because of the supply chain issues.”

The development agreement permits homes of 170 to 1,100 square feet between 8.5 feet and 25 feet wide.

Although up to 234 tiny homes are allowed on the 71-acre property, Wahila said the project currently has about 30 homes.

The maximum size of a storage building would be 144 square feet and one 12-foot by 20-foot garage would be allowed on each lot.

The Simple Life project, developed by Simple Life Partners of Jacksonville, was approved in 2019.

Operated by Michael and Rachael McCann, the company also has developed several tiny-house neighborhoods in Flat Rock, N.C., a small community near Asheville in the Smokey Mountains.

In the Wildwood neighborhood, homes are built along winding residential streets near Lake Andrew. The original development agreement allowed covered carports and storage for kayaks, paddle boards, canoes or bicycles under the homes or in small sheds.

Original plans also called for lakeside pavilions, a dog park, walking trails, sales center and a mall kiosk.

Tiny houses usually are a maximum 500 square feet and far less expensive than standard homes. Bedrooms may be in lofts above the main living area.

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