One benefit of more accessory dwelling units (ADUs) could be less mansionization of oversized single-family homes.
Sarah Anne Lloyd reports on Seattle's efforts to tweak its ADU laws to make the buildings, also known as mother-in-law units or granny flats, to reduce the prevalence of McMansions.
Legislation that would reform ADU regulations is still taking shape, but some councilmembers are pushing for a version of reform that would reduce floor-area ratio (FAR) as a method to reduce the incentives for building large, bulky mansions on single-family lots.
Lloyd explains:
Single-family zoning in Seattle is currently extremely permissive. While it has height limits (25 to 30 feet), there’s no limit to FAR, as long as the giant home that results is only one home. This is how you get giant, out-of-scale houses in single-family neighborhoods: They’re built to maximize square footage under height limits.
The ADU legislation, in an effort to incentivize both building new homes and keeping older homes around, would set an FAR limit at 0.5 for the main home on a single-family lot, whether the home has ADUs or not.
ADU legislation has been in the works in Seattle for years now, so it might still be some time before the City Council produces a final action. ADUs were intended as a key component of affordability measures recommended by the city's Housing Affordability and Livability committee (HALA) in 2015.
FULL STORY: How ADU legislation could rein in Seattle’s McMansions
ADU Reform Moves Forward in Seattle
A sweeping reform of Seattle's current accessory dwelling unit (ADU) rules is currently underway. Proposed legislation sets the stage for an ADU boom to potentially match Vancouver and Portland.
Seattle Sets a New Standard for Residential Zoning
Seattle is the latest in a series of cities, states, and counties to alter the landscape of land use regulation by approving what the Sightline Institute describes as the "most progressive" ADU policy in the United States.
Zoning Changes Would Mean More Granny Flats and Fewer McMansions in Seattle
Is this a two-birds-with-one-stone situation?
‘Forward Together’ Bus System Redesign Rolling Out in Portland
Portland is redesigning its bus system to respond to the changing patterns of the post-pandemic world—with twin goals of increasing ridership and improving equity.
Plan to Potentially Remove Downtown Milwaukee’s Interstate Faces Public Scrutiny
The public is weighing in on a suite of options for repairing, replacing, or removing Interstate 794 in downtown Milwaukee.
Can New York City Go Green Without Renewable Rikers?
New York City’s bold proposal to close the jail on Rikers Island and replace it with green infrastructure is in jeopardy. Will this compromise the city’s ambitious climate goals?
700-Acre Master-Planned Community Planned in Utah
A massive development plan is taking shape for lakefront property in Vineyard, Utah—on the site of a former U.S. Steel Geneva Works facility.
More Cities Ponder the End of Drive-Thrus
Drive-thru fast food restaurants might be a staple of American life, but several U.S. cities are actively considering prohibiting the development of new drive-thrus for the benefit of traffic safety, air quality, and congestion.
Air Pollution World’s Worst Public Health Threat, Report Says
Air pollution is more likely to take years life off the lifespan of the average human than any other external factor, according to a recent report out of the University of Chicago.
Placer County
City of Morganton
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Dongguan Binhaiwan Bay Area Management Committee
City of Waukesha, WI
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Indiana Borough
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
