Chicagoans may soon have more real estate options for visiting from their in-laws.
Proposal from 44th Ward Ald. Bennett Lawson’s decision to allow granny flats to be built over backyards, basements and garages across the city is heating up among other officials, and Mayor Brandon Johnson has voiced support for the idea, Crain’s Report.
The proposal would replace the city’s 2020 ordinance on accessory dwelling units, which limited them to construction in five pilot areas. Johnson and members of his government have expressed support for expanding eligibility across the city. Partition Tsar Alder. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa and Johnson’s policy director Umi Grigsby said they supported the proposal.
“Mayor Johnson is committed to expanding the ADU pilot to all areas of the city, and as zoning board chair, I have the same goal,” Ramirez-Rosa told the media. olde. Lawson’s proposal is part of a conversation about how to move forward with ADU’s expansion. “
In the Windy City, restrictions on certain forms of accessory dwelling units have existed for decades. In 1957, Chicago banned alleyside carriage houses, as well as basement and attic apartments, but in recent years they have gained traction as a viable way to increase the stock of affordable housing.
More ADUs would increase “moderate density” across Chicago, Lawson said. Grigsby added that this will allow residents to “diversify their incomes while ensuring that the city’s housing stock continues to meet the needs of people at different income levels,” she told the outlet.
The current regulations creating the pilot zone will expire in May 2024. The pilot zone requires landlords to charge 20 percent below market rent for new units in exchange for the zoning changes they need to build.
Lawson also said the ADU would modestly increase the city’s tax base.
— Quinn Donoghue
