Joining a host of other cities, Cincinnati, Ohio is considering allowing ADUs and rentals in residential neighborhoods to ease the affordable housing crisis facing the nation.
A proposed ordinance announced Thursday, March 16 would allow for the construction of accessory dwelling units on lots of existing single-family homes.
An accessory dwelling unit is described in the ordinance as a “self-contained dwelling unit designed for occupancy by one family for living and sleeping purposes that provides complete independent living facilities, including its own entrance, kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping area; that is located on the same lot as a larger single-family dwelling that serves as the principal use of that lot; and whose use is subordinate and incidental to the larger single-family dwelling.”
A newly-built accessory dwelling unit cannot take up more than 15% of the lot, or 800 square feet, whichever is greater. The ordinance language does provide an allowance for existing garages to be converted into fully-functioning homes, even if they do not match the size requirements for new structures.
The ordinance, proposed by councilmember Mark Jeffreys, would increase the number of available rental units in the city, but Jeffreys said whether or not the structures could be used as Airbnbs is still up in the air.
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Gary Fleisher is the Editor in Chief of Modular Home Source and Offsite Builder magazine. Email at [email protected]
