Agenda - Planning Commission - 01/03/1995

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CASE PROPOSED REGULATIONS FOR ACCESSORY APARTMENTS By: Sylvia Frolik, Zoning Administrator Background:',. Per direction from the Planning Commission and the City Council, Staff has prepared the following report and proposed ordinance pertaining to accessory apartments. There is currently one application for an accessory apartment that has been tabled by the City Council in lieu of establishing Ciiy regulations for same. Observations: Staff has condtlcted a survey, and basically Andover, Anoka, Blaine, Coon Rapids and Elk River are currently doing the same as Ramsey. There is nothing in the codes to prevent boarders and roommates, an~ for lack of regulations, accessory apartments are prohibited. The census data indicates that p[ople are living in smaller households than they did 20 or 30 years ago. There are more single pe{>ple, either because they are marrying later, divorced more often, or living longer after their spouses die. Working women are having fewer children, and the baby boom has been followed by anlempty-nester boom. Yet, federal dollars for affordable housing have dried up, forcing cities tO seek out inexpensive ways to augment the supply of lower cost housing in their communities. ~ Accessory apartments add affordable housing stock without dramatically changing the nature of neighborhoods,[iwhile keeping the dream of home ownership alive even when housing costs seem prohibitive. BT keeping more residents within established neighborhoods, cities also reduce sprawl while adi2ing to the tax base. Communities tt~at allow accessory apartments typically average one conversion, from a single- family unit to { single-family unit with an accessory apm-m~ent, yearly for every 1,000 single family homes. There is no known example of a community that has reversed its decision to permit accessory, apartments. Accessory apartments are the least v. isible because they are built within an existing home. The underused housing stock is increasingly being looked at by home owners as a source of income and se~ices. Both the homeowner and the community can benefit from the presence of accessory apartments if they are carefully managed. Accessory apartments offer particular advantages to ol~ter home owners. Apartment tenants can provide not only rental income but they may also provid{personal services to older homeowners in return for lower rent. Tenants can be a source of compqnionship and secmfity from fear of cr/minal in~-usion and personal accidents. In addition, buyer~ of new and/or existing homes may find that the installation of an accessory apartment offer~ them a means of meetina r)avments on high interest loans. The presence of an accessory aparrr~ent can also help single l~a~-er~ts to hang onto their houses in the wake of divorce or death. The ~ost obvious public benefit of accessory apartments is that they offer a source of inexpensive ho~ina units in the community. Accessory apartments can bring households at a variety of stage~ in~ the life cycle into a n~ighborhood, reducing fluctuation and demand for services. The most freou~nt reason for resisting the lesalization Of.accessou, aeartments is increase in parldng and trifle congestion. Studies indicate that parking problems ar~ generally not created by accessory apart~nents but are the result of residents using garages for storage and not for automobiles. In addition, most neighborhoods reach peak population dens/ty and peak car ownership le,,~lsiab ut _0 '~ears aft~.r the,, are built. At ~at tim~, the h me are full o,- te~n'~ o7'',-*~ vdth cars. Acces or~ ar>arrr;nents are not ihstalled in enough numbers to ~.om,~ close to that 20-year r)eak of kids and ears.