Most people understand that to solve the homeless problem we will need more housing. A lot more. And it will need to be affordable for people who work regular jobs. We recently argued that to really solve this issue we will need thousands of affordable housing units. Thousands.
Which is why arguing over a pilot program set to add 25 units to Salt Lake City’s housing inventory is missing the mark.
The city council is currently arguing about whether to pass an ordinance that would allow homeowners throughout the city to build mother-in-law units, or “accessory dwelling units.” The ordinance would limit new ADUs to 25 per year, and would require off-street parking and owner-occupied primary dwellings. Under current code, ADUs are allowed on property within a half mile of a fixed transit station.
What specifically is the council arguing over? They’re arguing about whether they should approve ADUs for the entire city, or exclude the Avenues and east bench neighborhoods. The original proposal included a geographical exclusion after residents from the Avenues and east bench neighborhoods complained their single-family neighborhoods would lose their appeal. It’s the same argument they used in 2012 when Avenues residents argued they had only recently “rescued” the historic nature of their neighborhood from duplex doom.
Notwithstanding the geographical exclusion debate, it looks like the council is generally in favor of allowing the pilot program. That’s good. But if it’s a good idea, it should be uniformly applied throughout the city. We need to increase our housing inventory by any and all means possible. A few ADU units are not going to destroy a single-family neighborhood.
The more questionable part of the proposed program is that ADU units may not provide additional housing that is actually affordable. The units could take a substantial amount of money to build or renovate, and rents will likely be market rate.
But it’s worth a try. Communities across the country are opting for ADUs to help alleviate housing shortages in urban environments. Benefits of the proposed program outweigh presumed costs. The program will provide more housing, which we desperately need. And while the units won’t necessarily house mothers-in-law, they could provide an affordable place for aging residents to age-in-place without having to give up their independence to a group home.
Salt Lake City has a vacancy rate below 3 percent, and officials are planning for 30,000 more people in the next 12 years. We need more housing. And 25 units is hardly even worth an editorial.