New law in Anchorage Opens House Hacking Opportunities

[Nick Bruckner]

Check this out! HUGE opportunity in the Municipality of Anchorage as the Assembly  voted last week to change several regulations on what homeowners can do with properties zoned as single family. The changes created more options for Additional Dwelling Units- which can be detached from the home (a back yard cabin). This will open lots of doors for folks in the BP community here. 

Highlights from the Anchorage Daily News article published February 3, 2023:
The rules take effect Feb. 7. In addition to removing the owner-occupancy requirement, other stipulations include:

• Allowing a single ADU to be built on any parcel with a dwelling unit, including near duplexes, triplexes or even apartment complexes. They were previously limited to lots with a single-family dwellings.

• Changing the maximum size cap to 1,200 square feet, although zoning limits retained by the Assembly will help ensure that many ADUs will still be capped at the old limit of 900 feet, city officials say.

• Keeping the maximum height at 25 feet for units in the Anchorage Bowl, except those above garages, which can now reach 30 feet.

However, there are no restrictions on whether the units can become short-term rentals. The Assembly plans to soon tackle short-term rentals as a separate issue, which could include the first limits on their numbers or other new requirements.

Here is a link to the article

I spend a lot of time as an agent looking at home with ADU/MIL/Air BNB potential for clients but now there are many more options especially for properties with larger lots. Exciting time to work and invest in Alaska!

Curious to hear people’s thoughts on this article and what doors it might open!