Broome County seeks bids to prep Binghamton site for two tiny homes

Broome County’s tiny-home effort at 8 Truesdell Street in Binghamton has reached the part that decides whether a concept becomes a build: site development. The Broome County Land Bank Corporation posted bids on May 20 for the work needed to place two tiny homes already built by BOCES, with sealed proposals due June 11 at 2:00 p.m. local time.

That bid is not a light touch-up job. The scope runs from site preparation and earthwork to concrete footings, foundations, foundation insulation, concrete flatwork, asphalt paving, overhead electrical service, underground water and sewer utilities, plumbing connections, insulation under the floor framing, pressure-treated front porches, railings, stairs, and a privacy fence. The contractor will also handle transportation, mobilization, rigging, crane setup, and placement of the two completed homes on the site. In tiny-house terms, this is the unglamorous part that makes the whole model work: the shell may be compact, but the infrastructure is not.

The land bank is treating the job as a single prime contract, and the listing says M/WBE, SDVOB, and Section 3 firms are encouraged to bid. Bid security is not required. A pre-bid conference is scheduled for May 27, another sign that this project is already moving past planning and into the mechanics of construction. The solicitation also falls under construction and utility-related NAICS categories, including site preparation, water and sewer line work, and heavy civil engineering, which reinforces that this is a true site-build effort, not just a matter of dropping finished units onto pads.

The Truesdell Street work sits alongside Broome County’s broader veterans tiny-home push, which the county has described as a $12.2 million project backed by $9.05 million from the county and $3.15 million from partners including Marc Molinaro, Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kathy Hochul, Donna Lupardo, Lea Webb, Fred Akshar, and Empire State Development. That project calls for 10 tiny homes, six one-bedroom units and four two-bedroom units, and county materials say the homes will be ADA-compliant with on-site laundry and secure access. Soldier On is the property and case-management provider.

That broader veterans project has been in the works for years, and the new 8 Truesdell Street bid shows Broome County is still doing the hardest part of tiny-home development: turning a finished unit into an occupied home by building the ground, utilities, and access around it.