Proposed legislation for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) seeks to make the process to obtain permits for Columbus single-family parcels easier.
Columbus City Councilmember Otto Beatty is holding a public hearing at City Hall Tuesday to discuss the legislation.
ADUs are separate housing units on land that have been zoned for a single-family home and are often used to house immigrating family members, elderly parents and renters. There are several variations, like a completely detached structure, often colloquially called an in-law suite, an attached extension with a separate entrance and a basement apartment with its own entrance.
Ohio is home to the architecturally-unique “Cleveland Double,” where the first floor is separate from the second floor and acts as two separate living spaces.
ADUs used to be much less regulated in Columbus, but new laws in the 1950s and 60s made obtaining permits more difficult. The post-war laws were adopted in several cities in Ohio, billed as “anti-slum” laws and made it so ADUs became virtually non-existent. Those same laws are still on the books today, but Beatty seeks to change them.
“In the last five years, we have had about 45 ADUs that have been approved. However, the process in order to do this required several variances, different permitting, additional taps, and other things that make a difficult cumbersome process,” Beatty said. “What our legislation is trying to do is ease the path for citizens to be able to add these ADUs.”
Beatty himself recently had to navigate the ADU process, when he and his sister converted his sister’s garage into a living space for their mother. Beatty said the process wasn’t difficult, but he also has a background as a developer, a lawyer and long time involvement in the real estate community. The process for others, he said, could be much more difficult.
Beatty said he’s been able to see first hand how difficult navigating the current system is for some residents.
He said he's received calls from Columbus residents struggling with obtaining permits and variances (a type of permission allowing someone to deviate from zoning code) for ADUs. He also mentioned several advocacy groups, one of which is AARP, who are advocating for a more accessible process to ensure aging people are able to be close to those who can care for them.
An easier process is not the only benefit that Beatty anticipates.
“We have a housing supply shortage and we're looking to have a wide variety of innovative solutions to increase the supply of units because one of the things that some individuals would take advantage of, it would be to utilize this to add an additional unit for some additional rental income at their home, or of course move a family member in,” he said.
Beatty also assures Columbus residents that the proposed law isn’t a “free for all.”
“There would be height limits, there would be how large they can be, there'll be limits on the number of ADUs you can have in a backyard, and then of course they'll comply with all of the appropriate building codes for life safety and everything like that,” Beatty explained. “It's not like going to Home Depot and ordering a shed and having it just dropped off.”
Other cities in Ohio have also started to relax their regulations on ADUs. Cincinnati, Cleveland, Yellow Springs and Dayton are just a few of them, and Beatty said that he’s been communicating with their local legislators to identify what has been successful, and to help tailor the bill to Columbus’ needs.
Ultimately, Beatty hopes the new legislation can offer Columbus residents an easier pathway to build more ADUs.
“What we're seeking to do with this particular legislation is to provide homeowners an opportunity to utilize their property to open up more housing opportunities for their family and have some freedom to do so,” Beatty said.