Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Accessory Dwelling Units

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ADUs aren’t an affordable-housing cure-all, but they have a role to play

By Jon Gerlach

Will City Council enact an ordinance allowing new Accessory Dwelling Units to be built in the City? It’s way too early to know. ADUs will come before the Planning Commission at its next few meetings, City Staff will conduct public outreach, and there will be a lot more discussion of ADUs before the question makes its way up to City Council for a final public hearing.
 
Some folks may not know what an ADU is. An ADU is a secondary residence in a single-family neighborhood. It’s a living space separate from the main dwelling unit. It typically has its own kitchen, and it can either be part of the main dwelling (basement for example), or a separate building (an “in-law suite” above the garage or a standalone structure in a home’s back yard, for example). Currently we have at least 90 ADUs in the City that pre-date our modern zoning ordinances. Many folks would like to be allowed to add one on their property. Other folks don’t want to see any more ADUs in the City.
 
ADUs are but one arrow in the quiver of tools that local governments can use to address their housing challenges. There is no panacea, no silver bullet for the serious equitable housing crisis we’re experiencing. Meaningful solutions will require a variety of targeted approaches. As with most things, I will not reach a decision on adopting (or not) an ADU ordinance until we have more information and public input. And I am certainly not willing to discard any potentially useful tool unless – and until – it has been more fully vetted. 
 
Let’s take a quick look at the main pros and cons of ADUs as they stand currently. Here are five of the major points people make in support of ADUs in Fredericksburg:

1. ADUs will provide more equitable housing for folks who struggle to find housing in their price range, especially our first responders, teachers, retail workers, and other working people who cannot afford to live here.

2. ADUs will provide a new source of rental income for homeowners, which could help more folks living on fixed incomes remain in their homes.

3. ADUs will allow more seniors to age in place by providing space for their caregivers to reside.

4. ADUs will make it easier for multiple generations to live together as a family, thus strengthening family ties and keeping communities intact.

5. ADUs are already widespread in Fredericksburg (more than 90 of them), and those neighborhoods are still great places to live.

And five of the major points people make in opposition to ADUs in Fredericksburg:

1. ADUs will destroy the character of our neighborhoods.

2. ADUs are difficult to regulate/inspect once they are built.

3. ADUs will cause more parking problems.

4. ADUs will mean more rentals instead of home ownership.

5. ADUs will lower property values.

I hope you will notice, and keep in mind, that some of these talking points for and against ADUs are rather speculative. Since we do not have a formal ADU program in place in Fredericksburg, we lack data points to either support or refute those talking points. 
 
For some guidance we can look to the experiences of other localities, such as Alexandria, where recently adopted ordinances allow new ADUs to be built. But even so, that is not Fredericksburg’s data. Our community is unique, and I expect our ADU experience would be unique as well. 
 
It may very well be that we will never know the true pros and cons of ADUs in Fredericksburg unless we complete a pilot program and have some evidence – actual hard data rather than conjecture – to talk about. 
 
The City will engage the community in public participation on ADUs. This is normal operating procedure prior to City Council making major land use decisions that will affect entire neighborhoods. We’ve seen it many times before, with the public participation process. I’ve been to more community meetings put on by the Planning Department and the Planning Commission than I can count. They are always helpful to gather feedback from the public.
 
At our last meeting, City Council did not decide if ADUs are appropriate or not. Council simply initiated the discussion by sending a first draft of an ADU Ordinance to the Planning Commission for a public hearing in February, with a clear message for City Staff to engage in public outreach before ADUs come back to City Council (although the Planning Commission and City Staff were certainly already aware of the need for this). To learn more about next steps, check out the Planning Commission meeting this Wednesday starting at 6:30 PM, when the Public Information Process will be discussed. Here is the agenda.
 
To be sure, ADUs stir passion among City residents, both for and against. That’s a good thing. It means people are engaged, and they care deeply about the future of our remarkable City. Knowing City Staff’s history of public engagement on major land use decisions, it also means that any decisions to approve, or disapprove, of allowing more ADUs in the City, will take into account a process of public participation.
 
I hope you will follow the public process and weigh in on ADUs going forward. This is your community, and these are your friends and neighbors. We all rise and fall together on the same tide.

This piece originally appeared in Gerlach’s Jan. 23 email newsletter. Subscribe here.