Triwoods Civic Association

Accessory Dwelling Units

NOTE FROM COUNCILMAN TACKETT REGARDING ADUs

County Council has recently started to review the concept of allowing a homeowner to add an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) to their home or yard. This will allow the homeowner to turn their garage into an apartment or possibly build a small unit in the back yard to house an elderly parent, provide a unit for a child, or to just use as additional income. Below is information to provide you with a few more details on an ADU:

An accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is defined as a habitable living unit added to, created within, or detached from a single-family dwelling that provides basic requirements for living, sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation. There are three types of accessory dwelling units:

1) Interior – using an interior part of a dwelling.
2) Interior with modifications where the outside of the dwelling is modified to accommodate a separate unit (this could include a unit over the garage if the garage is attached).
3) Detached – a structure on a residential lot that is separate from the main dwelling, yet by definition still “accessory” and so smaller than the main unit (this would include a unit over the garage if the garage is detached).

The common features of all accessory dwelling units are that they are self-contained (they provide complete living facilities for the use of one or more individuals, with permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking, and sanitation) and subordinate to the existing dwelling.

Accessory dwelling units can be integrated into existing single family neighborhoods to provide housing alternatives that have little or no negative impact on the character of the neighborhood. The regulatory approach used by most municipalities for accessory dwelling units is a zoning bylaw that permits an accessory unit, thereby allowing certain improvements to be made to the existing dwelling, to an existing detached dwelling, or new construction of a subordinate structure.

“In the 1940s and 1950s, many American families rented out an extra apartment over their garages or in the basement of their homes as a way to earn some extra income. In fact, backyard cottages and attic and basement apartments were a common feature in many communities across the country. Demographic trends have resulted in growing numbers of smaller households and a renewed interest in accessory dwelling units. Housing costs have also contributed to the recent resurgence of accessory units.

If you have an interest in or concerns about this concept, please plan on attending the
Bear/Glasgow Civic Umbrella meeting on September 20th at 7:00 P.M. in the Sweeney Room at the State Police Building on Rt. 40 in Glasgow. If you are not able to attend this meeting, please let me know when your next community meeting is and I will try to attend to discuss this concept.

Regards,


Dave Tackett
Councilman 11th District
395-8351
dltackett@nccde.org