Teeny peek at Tampa’s tiny home town

By Michael Lee Simpson

Welcome to the tiny homes town - where more than 60 people live in four villages in homes which are as small as 8.5ft wide.

Dan Dobrowolski, 66, is the founder of the national tiny home company Escape and has built The Village, The Oaks, Palm Court, and The Grove in Tampa Bay, Florida.

The 45 homes fit up to two bedrooms, full kitchen and bathrooms, despite the smallest being even less than 8.5 feet wide, and cost as little as $156,199 to buy and $1,295 a month to rent.

Unlike mobile home parks or RV sites, Escape Tampa Bay is built with permanent infrastructure.

Dobrowolski built the homes in 2020 - some of which he has built across the country - in a bid to address the deepening housing affordability crisis.

“Even though it’s a tiny house, you still have a large area where you can go outside and walk just like you’re in a normal neighborhood," he said.

“We intentionally designated the entire central part of the development as a large park, so it’s very green, very quiet, and you have space."

Escape Tampa Bay is near major roads and basic amenities and offers long-term housing at lower costs than typical rentals in the region.

Homes in the community range from about 200 to 600 square feet, with some of the earlier models reaching 800 square feet.

Monthly rent averages around $1,400 - below current market rates in the area, where rental prices have been climbing amid high demand and limited availability.

Dobrowolski says he sees this type of housing as one possible answer to the wider affordability problem.

“People all talk about the affordability crisis in housing,” he said. “Especially if you’re a working person - cops, teachers, mechanics - they’re priced out.”

There are shared amenities on-site, including a pool, a workspace area, and secured entry, as well as underground utilities and fiber optic internet.

Most residents own their homes, though the company offers some units as rentals with leases between nine and twelve months.

Some homes have been resold, with recent prices as low as $89,197 plus a $595 monthly lot fee.

Dobrowolski purchased the land and developed the community.

However, he does not personally own all the homes in the village. The homes are sold to individual buyers, who then own or rent their units privately.

Zoning restrictions and local opposition can slow or stop expansion.

“The demand is off the Richter scale,” he said.

“Beauty is important, and we’ve shown that affordable housing doesn’t have to mean sacrificing neighborhood quality or design.

He added: “What we’ve created here isn’t just housing — it’s a real community where people can afford to live and thrive in today’s economy.”