Will Chicago Legalize Coach Houses / Adopt a pro-ADU policy?

[Elliot Rudmann]

Chicago investors/landlords: I'm curious to know what your thoughts are on this potential change. Mayor Emanuel's latest five-year housing plan (passed in December by the City Council) included a section that mentioned accessory dwellings. "The City will identify options to leverage building codes or zoning to create affordability through accessory dwelling units (ADU)".

There has been a national push towards adopting pro-ADU legislation and upzoning. Minneapolis just radically changed their zoning (allowing three-flats to be built on some previous SFH zoned lots). Oak Park now allows coach houses (if your lot is big enough). Denver, Portland, and LA - to name a few - already allow ADUs with certain restrictions, yet Chicago has generally banned them since 1957.

With Chicago losing so many housing units from multifamily de-conversions to single family homes, I think adopting more ADU-friendly zoning would help naturally restore these lost units and bring back some affordability, which would help Chicago's economy long term. It would also help increase income for homeowners/landlords and increase work for builders and architects. I've definitely thought about converting my unfinished basement to a small apartment or putting up a garage with a 1bd/1bth on top to help increase cash flow, but it's not realistic without attempting the virtually impossible (and expensive) task of trying to spot-upzone my property. There would be a lot of things the city would need to figure out (infrastructure impact comes to mind) but overall this seems like a great way to add density while preserving the neighborhood character and giving some power back to homeowners and landlords. 

There's a related petition circulating right now that I've signed that I think a lot of Chicago people on BP would support: https://www.change.org/p/chicago-city-council-re-legalize-coach-houses-and-similar-accessory-housing