Steps were made this week to move Atlanta toward being the first city in the southeastern United States to allow the construction of tiny homes.

The Atlanta City Council voted this week to approve an amendment to the zoning ordinance that restricts the size of residential units across the city to encourage the construction of tiny homes, according to Curbed Atlanta.

The amendment eliminates square footage minimum for secondary units on lots that are zoned for duplexes. This means that tiny homes would only be built in areas that already have larger residential units. Neighborhoods that are currently zoned for accessory dwelling units include Grant Park, Inman Park, the residential portion of Midtown and Home Park.

The hope is that homes of less than 750 square feet would be built and help bring down the average cost of homeownership and rents in some neighborhoods that are currently in high demand.

“Embracing the tiny house movement in Atlanta will help expand the diversity of our housing choices and provide more affordable housing options. We have gotten really good at building large single-family homes and luxury apartments, and as a result the cost of living has gone up dramatically over the last several years,” said Councilman Kwanza Hall in a press release.