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Minneapolis City Planning Department Report Text Amendment What problem is the Amendment desh!ned to solve? Planning staff could not find a factual basis for the purpose of this overlay to create affordable housing. Instead, Planning staff found that accessory dwellings could have benefits as they relate to the following: 1. Promote home ownership. 2. Allow a variety of housing types, costs and arrangements including older homeowners, single parents, young homebuyers, students, artists and disabled persons. 3. Assist with implementing Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles. Of course, Planning staff believes this type of development should occur only if the potential, negative impacts can be mitigated. What public purpose will be served bv the amendment? One policy of The Minneapolis Plan found in Chapter 4, Marketplaces: Neighborhoods, states that "Minneapolis will reasonably accommodate the housing needs of all of its citizens." Another policy of this chapter states "Minneapolis will improve the range of housing options for those with few or constrained choices." This amendment would address these policies. What problems mi2ht the amendment create? Emergency Medical Access and Fire Protection: The Fire Department has indicated that an unobstructed pathway leading from the public street to the accessory dwelling would need to be provided for emergency vehicle and personnel access. Owner-Occupancy: Problems that were identified by other communities that have ordinances for accessory dwellings were maintenance issues and preservation of the character of the neighborhood and how that relates to rental versus owner-occupied units. Research shows there is a correlation between these problems and units that are rented versus those that are owner-occupied. Other problems identified included awareness that the ordinance served a handful of owners to increase their income by effectively creating multiple rental properties with absentee landlords. This activity resulted in a depreciation of surrounding land value. Owner-occupancy can be a regulation ofland use (Sounhein v. City of San Dimas). In the Planning staff report dated April 30, 2001, for the NP Overlay text amendment, a provision that one unit be owner-occupied was required and justified. Please see following summary from the April 30, 2001, Planning staff report: A. A goal of the Ventura Village program is to create home ownership opportunities. Because of the Land Subdivision Regulations, the single zoning lot could not be subdivided and therefore only one of the two units could remain as owner-occupied. It should be noted however, that each unit could be owner-occupied if a condominium plat was recorded. B. Another goal of the program is to increase the viability of home ownership through the provision of rental income. The net profit for a homeowner can not be determined based on the unknown costs of financing, construction, maintenance and potential tax benefits for landlords. It appears Page 5