Accessory Dwelling Units
Coach House: Legalize It?
Advocates in the city of Chicago are pushing to legalize Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), which currently can only be rented if grandfathered in.
Zoning Changes May Be Coming to Atlanta
The city is considering zoning updates, including legalization of accessory dwelling units and smaller apartment buildings, which would increase density and provide more housing.
Suburbs Encouraging Accessory Dwelling Units
Renton, a suburb of Seattle dealing with skyrocketing housing prices like many of the communities in the region, is allowing new density in residential neighborhoods in the form of backyard cottages.
Airbnb Getting Into the Housing Business
Correction: Airbnb is diversifying its housing business.
Citing Lack of ADU Development, Ann Arbor to Refine its ADU Ordinance
After legalizing accessory dwelling units in 2016, the city of Ann Arbor hasn't added many accessory dwelling units. Some regulations designed to limit the number of ADUs developed have made the building type impossibly cost prohibitive.
Granny Flats Take on the Los Angeles Homelessness Crisis
A program financed by Bloomberg Philanthropies will pay homeowners to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and rent them to the recently homeless.
ADUs Benefit Wealthy White Homeowners, Study Finds
Cities like Austin, Denver, Los Angeles, Portland, and now Seattle are pursuing equity-based agendas for ADUs.
Granny Flats Legalized Citywide in St. Paul
The Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) movement has take hold in the Twin Cities. Now ADUs are allowed all over the city of St. Paul.
The New Dream Home Includes a Granny Flat
You can pay off the mortgage, but you can never leave.
Op-Ed: Seattle Merely 'Inching Forward' on ADUs
They're a good start. But compared to similar policies in cities like Portland and Vancouver, Seattle's new policies around accessory dwelling units may be lackluster.
Philadelphia Aims to Create or Preserve 100,000 Units of Housing
The city of Philadelphia released a document detailing its intentions around housing and related policies. The plan, which has been described as "ambitious," places a focus on equity.
Retrofitting Cities with Accessory Dwelling Units Is a Win-Win
Expensive West Coast cities are looking to these alternative and add-on structures to ease their housing challenges.
Raleigh Could Legalize Accessory Dwelling Units—With Lots of Strings Attached
Residents in parts of Raleigh would be allowed to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on their property, if a majority of their neighbors approve the idea.
'Making Room Housing Program' Would Allow New Density in Vancouver
Duplexes, rowhouses, and small apartment buildings will be on the zoning menu for "housing choice neighborhoods" around Vancouver, thanks to the city's new "Making Room Housing Program."
Planning Commission OKs ADUs Citywide in St. Paul
The City Council will still have to approve the likely controversial idea of allowing accessory dwelling units citywide in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Don't Forget the Green Benefits of Accessory Dwelling Units
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) don't just help mitigate housing supply and affordability issues, they also offer significant sustainability benefits.
Environmental Impact Study Builds the Case for Accessory Dwelling Units in Seattle
Proponents of a new Accessory Dwelling Unit rule in Seattle say the tactics of opponents backfired with this Environmental Impact Study.
Portland Makes ADU Incentives Permanent
Development fees can add some $15,000 to the cost of building a home in Portland. Residents adding an accessory dwelling unit to their property won't need to worry about those expenses, as long as they don't use the limit for short-term rentals.
California as a Model for Housing Legislation
The Golden State may have the nation's most severe housing crisis, but there is one area of state housing policy where it shines, becoming a model for other states that want to advance accessory dwelling units, also called granny or in-law units.
One Obstacle to ADU Construction in California: The Price of Permits
The price of a permit to build an accessory dwelling units in the city of Thousand Oaks in Southern California is prohibitive—putting the permitting fee in opposition to the stated intent of the city's zoning code and state law.
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