New regulations for accessory dwelling units were recently proposed at a community meeting.[/caption]

An attempt to reduce regulatory burdens on accessory dwelling units advances April 28 to the Planning Commission and potentially to Austin City Council for a May 7 public hearing.

Responding to a request by the outgoing council last year, city staff drafted code changes that could potentially allow for the development of more ADUs, which are secondary units built on the same properties as single-family homes. The proposed changes would lift driveway placement requirements, reduce parking requirements for smaller secondary units and allow an entrance within 10 feet of a property line, among other proposed citywide changes proposed in an effort to create more affordable housing options for renters and property owners.

The proposed changes are based on two public stakeholder meetings conducted in September and October. The Planning Commission’s Codes and Ordinances Subcommittee also considered the issue during multiple meetings, according to city documents.

In addition, the city hosted a public forum April 14 to discuss the pros and cons of ADUs. Mark Rogers, executive director of the Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corporation, told the standing-room only crowd of approximately 100 people that ADUs provide density, affordable housing and help maintain the character of existing neighborhoods should a fair and predictable process be created for regulating the secondary units.

Mary Ingle, president of Austin Neighborhoods Council, a neighborhood quality-of-life advocacy group, said different neighborhoods are more compatible for ADUs than others. She pointed to areas surrounding The University of Texas as good examples for allowing ADUs geared toward students.

But no matter the neighborhood, she said parking will be the biggest concern when potentially lifting restrictions on secondary units. Ingle based her opinion from personal experience developing and renting her own secondary unit.

“My garage apartment tenants always say they have one car, and then they show up with two cars every time,” Ingle said. “What are we going to do with these cars?”

Rogers said parking regulations, which currently require two parking spots per primary unit and up to one additional parking spot for ADUs, should be decided based on street width and the availability of street parking.

“[Parking regulations] almost need to be looked at situation by situation or neighborhood by neighborhood,” he said.

There are also concerns that ADUs may not make neighborhood living more affordable. Marya Crigler of the Travis Central Appraisal District said ADUs could increase a property’s values and the values of the surrounding properties. And if the secondary unit is not being used by a family member—for example, a mother-in-law suite, it will not qualify for any homestead exemption, she said.

“If you add an ADU, we’re going to add that improvement to your account, and you’ll pay taxes on both,” Crigler said. “And if your neighbors build ADUs, that could maybe impact your property values even if your property does not have a secondary unit," she said.

The other obstacle to building ADUs is the lack of financing, according to Jake Wegman, a UT professor who worked on drafting city laws in California that encourage ADUs. Banks will not give traditional loans for installing ADUs, meaning the cost must come out of pocket. He recommended a city-driven loan source that could help alleviate the cost for homeowners interested in creating a secondary unit.

“Most homeowners are not developers, so if there’s too many obstacles they won’t do it or they will do it without permits,” Wegman said.