ADUs Work for Small Towns Too

One topic that has not yet been addressed on Rural Resurrection is Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). According to the American Planning Association (APA) an ADU is:

“…a smaller, independent residential dwelling unit located on the same lot as a stand-alone (i.e., detached) single-family home.”

They’ve been called everything from accessory apartments to secondary suites and granny flats. ADUs are simply smaller, secondary housing units that can be used for family members or rented out.

The Need

Although we have talked quite a bit about the need for new owner-occupied housing in rural communities on Rural Resurrection, there is also a need for affordable rental housing as well. According to the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, 41 percent (5 million households) of rural renters are cost-burdened. in other words, 41 percent hour rural renters pay more than 30 percent of their income to housing costs.

One of the major contributing factors to the high cost of rental housing is the lack of supply of safe, sanitary, and decent units. But overall housing production is down, especially in the Midwest. Without sufficient units overall, the flexing of the owner-occupied units to the renter-occupied units based on demand is limited.

Embracing Change

In many communities, there has been quite a bit of pushback against ADUs. Critics will argue that ADUs will result in overcrowded neighborhoods, cause parking problems, or negatively affect property values. However, many of these complaints have proven to be overblown in many areas, especially in rural areas where the average unit per acre ratio is much lower. Hence, there is more room for additional units, and meeting the additional parking demand is easier.

Rural communities should embrace ADUs as they provide affordable housing, support economic growth, and add new units to a deteriorating housing stock. They are impactful in the effort to solve housing shortages in rural communities. Helping to reduce the need for new large-scale developments that may not fit the rural fabric of your town.

ADUs are not going to be the silver bullet that solves your community’s housing needs. Just by allowing ADUs through adjustments to your local zoning and building regulations doesn’t mean that hundreds of these units are going to sprout out of nowhere. The majority of your community’s residents are not going to have an interest in ADUs. However, the simple ability to construct ADUs provides an additional option that diversifies your housing stock.

Example Regulations

In order to be more ADU-friendly a community needs to amend regulations to allow for these units in their residential zoning districts. This is also a good time to obtain public input as to the potential changes. In the process of making the amendments, it is important to define “Accessory Dwelling Units” in your definitions section. Then allow for ADUs as a use type, or an accessory use type (depending on how your zoning regulations are laid out).

But at the same time, it is important to set constraints. This is the appropriate time to look at aspects like size limitations, setback requirements, and parking.

Mora, MN

Here’s a link to the staff report related to zoning text amendments adopted by Mora, Minnesota, a city of 3,665 north of Minneapolis.

Staff Report

Greenwich, CT

Another staff report, this time from Greenwich, Connecticut, reviews amendments for this town in extreme southwest Connecticut.

Staff Report

Make it Your Own

The examples above provide a snapshot of what other communities have done to allow for ADUs. Each community should have its own approach. Adjustments to the regulations should be based on public input and the standard flow of your community’s development processes.