Advocates in the city of Chicago are pushing to legalize Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), which currently can only be rented if grandfathered in.
It’s hard to find accessory dwelling units (ADUs) or coach houses to rent in Chicago, because it’s illegal to build new ones and older ones can only be rented if they have been continually rented every year since they were constructed. "Current zoning does not allow for the construction of new coach houses. The detached residences, typically located at the rear of a lot behind the main dwelling, have been outlawed since the 1950s," AJ LaTrace reports for Chicago Magazine.
Urban planner and Streetsblog editor Steven Vance argues that the city needs to allow ADUs and let property owners rent the ADUs that have already been built to create more housing in the city. These homes could gently increase density without having to tear down existing properties and add housing supply in neighborhoods facing rising rents.
Some, like architect Manuel Hernandez, are unconvinced that coach houses would truly create affordable housing. "[Hernandez] adds that a flood of new coach houses could erase thousands of off-street parking spaces, further congesting the streets,” LaTrace writes.
FULL STORY: Assessing the Effort to Legalize New Coach Houses
What a Different Approach to ADUs Could Mean for Chicago
Architect Larry Kearns argues that re-legalizing accessory dwelling units in Chicago could do a lot to promote affordable housing and economic diversity.
Chicago Coach Houses, Legalize 'Em
Coach houses could provide affordable housing and revenue for home owners if they were more widely permitted in the city.
Chicago ADUs Concentrated in More Affluent Neighborhoods
An analysis of city-issued permits shows that homeowners in gentrified wards are building accessory dwelling units at much higher rates than those in less well-off communities.
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