The Cottages on Vaughan

The Cottages on Vaughan is the first project of its kind in Clarkston, the most diverse square mile in America.

In 2016 we started our tiny house festivals to educate and advocate and excite municipalities, governments, and locals around new innovative progressive housing types and policies. It was one of those festivals that then-mayor Ted Terry of Clarkston attended and was immediately intrigued by how this new idea could add housing opportunities to the city of Clarkston GA. After that visit, he reached out to us at the MicroLife Institute and we promptly discussed and reviewed Clarkston’s Cottage court ordinance. Understanding what needed to be changed, MicroLife quickly suggested edits to the policy to create incentives for developers as well as measures to allow for naturally affordable attainable cottage court products.

After the rewrite, the city of Clarkston voted to pass the newly updated ordinance. Once passed, the mayor asked if we’d be interested in starting a pilot project in the city of Clarkston. Our Director of Policy and Development found land within walking distance to downtown and we started the development process which led to this amazing set of homes.

Design Features

Central Green Space

Cottages grouped around central courtyard shared by the community. Walking paths connect the development and encourage interaction. Landscaping and amenities are shared by all residents.
Clustered Parking

We designed the parking at the Cottages on Vaughan to encourage interaction with the neighborhood by locating parking on the exterior of the site, meaning guests must walk through the shared common area upon arrival.
Private/Public Balance

Room Sized, Friendly front porches act as a buffer between residences and shared space and act as a gradient of privacy, ensuring everyone has shared and private space while still encouraging interaction.
Nested Houses

Open and closed sides ensure neighboring homes ‘nest’ together — large windows facing its side yard, while the closed side has high windows and skylights to bring in ample light while preserving privacy.

Awards & Recognition

Won in 2022, the Jack Kemp Award was established in 2008 in memory of Jack Kemp, a former secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and a national advisory board member of the Terwilliger Center. It recognizes developments that use innovative financing sources to provide attainable mixed-income housing, primarily focusing on households earning greater than 60% of area median income.
The Atlanta Regional Commission’s Regional Excellence Awards recognize projects in metro Atlanta that exemplify cutting-edge, livable design that enhances the surrounding community and support the goals and policies of the Atlanta Region’s Plan. Cottages on Vaughan was recognized in 2022 for its Innovative Development.

Site Plan

The Cottages on Vaughan consists of 8 cottages on a parcel just over 1/2 acre in size. 7 of the units are 500 sqft 1-bedroom cottages and one unit is a 350 sqft tiny home.

The cottages share a single parking lot and surround a central greenspace featuring edible landscape, gather space, and connected pervious walking paths.