Cincinnati First City in Ohio to Legalize Accessory Dwelling Units

The Queen City achieved an historic day for planning in the state of Ohio.

1 minute read

June 28, 2023, 8:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Holy Cross Immaculata Church sits atop Mt Adams in Cincinnati, as seen from across the Ohio River in Kentucky.

Anne Kitzman / Shutterstock

Cincinnati is the first city in Ohio to legalize Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) after the City Council adopted a new ordinance after a year of work of staff work and dozens of public hearings. A Tweet by Cincinnati Councilmember Mark Jeffreys, who introduced the city’s new ADU law, announced the full council’s approval of the ordinance earlier this week.

Becca Costello wrote an article explaining the details of ADUs after the ordinance passed out of committee a few days earlier in June. The article includes a soundbite from Councilmember Jeffreys explaining that ADUs will help the city relax its housing shortage and help with agining in place.

According to Costello, the new ordinance includes own-occupancy limits and qualifies for the city's recently approved tax abatement program. “The proposal is one of the first steps in land-use reform that the mayor's office and Council have been discussing since taking office over a year ago,” writes Costello.

Another article by Chris Wetterich [paywall] provided additional explanation for the law just before the full council vote.

Wednesday, June 21, 2023 in WVXU

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