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ADU "Hot Topics"" As communities allow ADUs or update existing zoning codes and rules to be more ADU-friendly, they inevitably wrestle with some or all of the following issues: Adding ADUs to neighborhoods Recognizing that ADUs may represent a new housing type for existing neighborhoods, communities often write special rules to ensure they'll fit in well. These guidelines typically address visual compatibility with the primary dwelling, appearance from the street (if the ADU can be seen) and privacy for neighbors. Rules that help achieve these goals include: • height and size caps mandating that ADUs be shorter and smaller than the primary dwelling • requirements that detached ADUs be behind the main house or a minimum distance from the street • mandates that the design and location of detached ADUs be managed the same way as other detached structures (e.g., garages) on the lot • design standards for larger or two-story ADUs so they architecturally match the primary dwelling or reflect and complement neighborhood aesthetics • encouragement for the creation of internal ADUs, which are often unnoticeable from the street Each community can strike its own unique balance between strict rules to ensure that ADUs have a minimal impact on neighborhoods and more flexible rules that make them easier to build. A Providence, Rhode Island, has many homes that were built as or long -ago converted into multidwelling units. (Notice the two front doors.) A homeowner can live in one apartment while renting out the other. Providing places to park ADU regulations often include off -street -parking minimums on top of what's already required for the primary dwelling. Such rules can prevent homeowners from building ADUs if there's insufficient space for added parking. However, the extra parking often isn't needed. Studies of Portland, Oregon, and the San Francisco Bay area found that ADU households own an average of 0.9 cars. That's half the national average of 1.8 cars per household. With just over 2 percent of Portland homes having an ADU (the highest percentage of any large city in the country), there's roughly one extra car parked on the street every six blocks. This suggests that, even in booming ADU cities, any impact on street parking from ADUs is likely to be very small and dispersed. More -realistic parking rules might: • require the creation of new parking only if the ADU displaces the primary dwelling's existing parking • waive off -street -parking requirements at locations within walking distance of transit • allow parking requirements for the house and ADU to be met by using a combination of off-street parking, curb parking and tandem (one car in front of the other) parking in a driveway Dealing with unpermitted ADUs It's not uncommon for homeowners to convert a portion of their residence into an ADU in violation (knowingly or not) of zoning laws or without permits. Such illegal ADUs are common in cities with tight housing markets and a history of ADU bans. One example is New York City, which gained 114,000 apartments between 1990 and 2000 that aren't reflected in certificates of occupancy or by safety inspections. Sadly, in 2021, several city residents living in unsafe basement apartments drowned in their homes due to flooding caused by Hurricane Ida. Some cities have found that legalizing ADUs, simplifying ADU rules and/or waiving fees can be effective at getting the owners of illegal housing units to "go legit" — and address safety problems in the process. ■ 16 A A RID I The ABCs of ADUs