MAHUBE-OTWA Seeks Bids for Eight-Unit Tiny-Home Veterans Village in New York Mills

MAHUBE‑OTWA Community Action Partnership has published a Request for Bids to construct an eight‑unit tiny‑home village intended for veterans near New York Mills, Minn. The RFB file name indicates bids are due Feb. 6, 2026, and the project is described as grant‑funded and permanent in nature.

The plan calls for eight single‑story tiny homes and one common building on roughly a 15‑acre agricultural parcel listed in Becker County property records. The concept places four tiny homes and the common building on the northern portion of the property and the other four to the south, sited to avoid the property’s steepest gully. Kuoppala said, “We'd avoid that steepest gully by putting houses on both sides of the gully, not in the gully itself.” The common building is sized at 42 feet by 30 feet, and each tiny home is estimated at 16 feet by 24 feet with an individual parking pad.

On utilities and basic living features, Kuoppala said, “All will have electricity, running water, a bed, kitchen and a living space.” The proposal calls for a common septic system or septic systems to serve the site. Access to the parcel was adjusted at a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting to a north‑end entrance where “Crotts” enters the land; the exact driveway alignment and permitting remain to be confirmed.

The project drew review by the Becker County Planning and Zoning Commission because it proposes multiple homes on a single parcel. Commissioner Erica Jepson asked about resident screening; Kuoppala said the screening process “would still need to be created, but believes it will include a referral service for veteran organizations.” On intake, Kuoppala described the existing approach as “an in-depth discussion about physical and mental health.” Mahube‑Otwa reported serving 343 veterans in its programs in the past year, including 38 veterans specifically with homelessness or homeless‑prevention services.

Dan Josephson, who handles Energy Programs for Mahube‑Otwa, said the design has state approval and that he believed about $1.7 million had been received for the project. The RFB labels the build as grant‑funded; the names of grantors, full budget, permitting status, site engineering details, and an operator model for daily services have not been published in the materials released with the RFB.

Practical implications for the tiny‑house community and local contractors are immediate. Builders and subcontractors interested in the project will need to obtain the full RFB to confirm submission requirements, bonding and insurance, and site access rules. Veterans service providers and local agencies will want to engage on resident screening and referral partnerships as plans for intake and case management are finalized.

Next steps include formally posting the full RFB documents, confirmation of the official bid deadline and submission instructions, county permitting for septic and driveway access, and a construction schedule once bids are awarded. Watch for those filings and public meeting records to track when construction and occupancy will move from concept to reality.