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@Adam L
you are correct that that having additional roommates would add to the population and thus all of the facilities I mention, but by code you've not created a second dwelling unit, which i'd imagine would likely lead to a larger increase in population density than just having people taking on a renter inside the existing dwelling.

@andrew
the key is family. Why would a family live in two different dwellings. No one is regulating the actual family unit, they are regulating the non-family unit. I would assume you also have issue at the commonplace laws that prohibit more than 2, 3 or 4 unrelated adults from living in the same dwelling (depending on the jurisdiction)? The AVERAGE dwelling has 2.6 people, some have 5, others have 1. Likewise, many accessory apartments will have just 1 renter, but you may have up to the maximum number the code allows living there.

For the record i'm not against accessory apartments, but I do believe there needs to be a process to approving them, and i'm not sure the proposed regulations (other than the distance limitation) are really going to be that restrictive. I'd suggest the property owner seeking an accessory apartment could also be required to make the same adequate public facility payments that developers have to pay when building a new unit, but that's not even being proposed here.

by Gull on Jul 31, 2012 4:45 pm • link • report