To continue our conversation from Friday about housing, Raleigh’s City Council voted last Tuesday to allow the use of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and Cottage Courts — a grouping of small houses that face a centralized courtyard + share a driveway — on private properties. Bonus: property owners can now establish these types of units without going through a rezoning process.
ADUs, also known as granny flats and backyard cottages, already exist on various properties across Raleigh, but development rules in the 1970s essentially outlawed new construction of them unless you went through the extensive process of rezoning the property with the city.
With last week’s vote, city officials added a new section of law that will also allow properties with ADUs to use them as short term rentals on websites such as Airbnb. However, council members have shared that there will likely be additional changes made to the rules and regulations governing short term rentals.
Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin chimed into the conversation and asked city staff and officials to look into ways to encourage + incentivize residents to build ADUs on their property in order to create more affordable housing options.
What’s next for housing in Raleigh?
The big changes coming include adjusted short term rental laws + the crafting of legislation to add more duplexes, triplexes, and townhouses across the City of Raleigh. Stay tuned: we’ll keep you current on all the updates as they come in.