HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-05-16, Public Comment, Thane, ADU Densityfor staff if needed
Chris Mehl
Bozeman City Commission
cmehl@bozeman.net
406.581.4992
________________________________________
From: Kevin Thane [kpthane@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, December 05, 2016 3:00 PM
To: Carson Taylor; Chris Mehl; Cyndy Andrus; I-Ho Pomeroy; Jeff Krauss
Subject: Accessory Dwelling Units
Commissioners,
I would like to draw your attention to the benefits of encouraging the use of ADUs within the City of
Bozeman.
In a 2008 study titled Accessory Dwelling Units: A Case Study
(https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/adu.pdf) the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development Finds that:
"Accessory dwelling units offer a variety of benefits to communities. They help increase a community’s
housing supply, and since they cost less than a new single-family home on a separate lot, they are an
affordable housing option for many low- and moderate-income residents. Elderly and/or disabled
persons who may want to live close to family members or caregivers, empty nesters, and young adults
just entering the workforce find ADUs convenient and affordable. In addition to increasing the supply of
affordable housing, ADUs benefit homeowners by providing extra income that can assist in mitigating
increases in the cost of living. Accessory dwelling units have other advantages as well. They can be
designed to blend in with the surrounding architecture, maintaining compatibility with established
neighborhoods and preserving community character. Furthermore, there is no need to develop new
infrastructure, since ADUs can be connected to the existing utilities of a primary dwelling. Allowing ADUs
facilitates efficient use of existing housing stock, helps meet the demand for housing, and offers an
alternative to major zoning changes that can significantly alter neighborhoods." (page 2)
Puget Sound's Regional Council, through its Housing Innovations Program,
(http://www.psrc.org/assets/6668/hip_adu.pdf) finds that Accessory Dwelling Units promote housing
diversity, affordability, and density.
A 2007 report by the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts for the city of Eugene
(file:///C:/Users/Bob/Downloads/Role%20of%20Accessory%20Dwellings.PDF) finds that the purposes
for ADUs in the Pacific Northwest are to encourage Higher Density and efficiency of land use, provide for
more affordable housing and to contribute to a variety of housing types, as shown in the table below.
(page 17 of the report)
Table 4 • Stated purposes of ADUs from a variety of cities in the Pacific Northwest
Higher Density and Efficiency of Land Use • Accommodate additional density in existing neighborhoods
with minimum cost and disruption to surrounding neighborhoods (Hillsboro, OR) • Allow for more
efficient use of existing housing stock and infrastructure (Hillsboro, OR)
Affordability
• Add affordable units to the existing housing (Tacoma, WA, Springfield, OR) • Make housing units
available to moderate-income people who might otherwise have difficulty finding homes within the
city/county (Tacoma, WA)
Contribute to a Variety of Housing Types • Provide a mix of housing that responds to changing family
needs and smaller households (Hillsboro, OR) • Provide flexibility for changes in household size over the
course of time (Springfield, OR) • Provide Homeowners with flexibility in establishing separate living
quarters within or adjacent to their homes for the purpose of caring for elderly parents, providing
housing for their children, companionship, security, services or other purposes (Vancouver, WA) •
Provide homeowners with a means of obtaining, through tenants in either the ADU or the principle unit,
rental income, companionship, security, and services (Tacoma, WA) • Allow residents, particularly
seniors, single parents and families with grown children to remain in their homes and neighborhoods
(Hillsboro, OR) • Develop housing units in single-family neighborhoods that are appropriate for people
at a variety of stages in the life cycle (Tacoma, WA) • Provide a broader range of housing type and cost
(Hillsboro, OR)
Many other studies that discuss the benefits of policy that encourages the use of ADUs are available and
I would be happy to provide information on those studies at your request.
Thanks for your consideration.
Kevin Thane
3432 S 29th Avenue
kpthane@gmail.com<mailto:kpthane@gmail.com>
(406)587-7534