Saffron Avenue

JIM

Maria Kellner

**Saffron Avenue** is a street in Lower Duck Pond.

#### **Proposals to Hydroelectric City**

Professor G. Reen-House, who teaches environmental engineering at the University of Hydroelectric, proposed a plan for a green neighborhood in January 2013, to the city council of Hydroelectric City. Her proposal was rejected because the council did not see a need for more housing. She took the feedback and reinvented her plan, to turn an existing neighborhood into a more sustainable one, and proposed the reworked plan in March 2014. While the council was enthusiastic, renovating an entire neighborhood was deemed too expensive. The council was also unable to provide funding for experienced developers.

#### **Proposal to other places**

Reen-House, not willing to give up, proposed her plan to multiple city councils of several small towns close to Hydroelectric in september 2014. Lower Duck Pond, Rosewater and Poleville all expressed interest but none were able to provide funding for developers.

A month later, in a last effort to make her plan reality, Reen-House turned to social media. She made accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Reddit and encouraged people to live more sustainable. After a post on Reddit went viral, she revealed her plan and was interviewed by some newspapers, but she found no developers who were interested. She finally gave up on her plan.

#### **Resurrection of the project**

In 2018, Reen-House was approached by a student, who had read about her plan, was expressed their interest to be part of the project. Reen-House saw the potential to use her plan to give students a jumpstart into their careers. However, she was unable to find enough students to start her project.

At the graduation party for the graduating students of the University of Hydroelectric in 2019, Reen-House approached several students who have all expressed their interest in environmentally friendly solutions, and offered them the opportunity to be part of her project. Twenty students, including Gale Carrera, agreed to join the project.

Reen-House divided the group of students in two teams, who each had to develop their proposal in just two months. One group proposed building a tiny house neighborhood from the ground up, in Lower Duck Pond, while the other group proposed renovating a dated neighborhood in Poleville. The former plan was ultimately selected. The project was named the "Saffron Project".

The project's development started on 17 May, 2019, in Hydroelectric City. and in July, preparations for construction began. Simultaneously, tiny house models were being developed at Carrera Tiny Homes.

The project was finished in March 2020, and was renamed as "Saffron Avenue". The street's grand opening was on 25 April 2020.

## **Area**

The street was developed as a fully environmentally conscious neighborhood. There are small plots for tiny houses, which can be manufactured off-site by companies like Carrera Tiny Homes, or built on-site. The plots have plumbing and electricity ready and have foundations on which tiny houses can be placed. The foundations can be turned into a parking spot for tiny houses on wheels. Solar panels can be found in the street lanterns. A community garden and an outdoor kitchen are present as well.

## **Known residents**

There are currently around 30 tiny houses in Saffron Avenue. Known residents are:

* Gale Carrera
* Ezra Blackwoode
* Travis Boonjag
* Maria Kellner
* JIM