The Greensboro Planning Department is holding two virtual open houses on proposed changes to the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) ordinance.
ADUs are often called “granny flats,” but include backyard bungalows, garage or basement apartments and other dwelling units that are in addition to the principal house on a residential lot.
The proposed ordinance changes are designed to make it less complicated to build a granny flat.
The Greensboro City Council often discusses the housing shortage in Greensboro, and because increasing the number of ADUs would be spread across the city, it is thought that the housing opportunities in Greensboro could be increased significantly without the disruption of a large residential development by allowing more ADUs.
The virtual public hearings will be held Monday, Jan. 22 at 5:30 p.m. and Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 11 a.m. To register to attend one of these Zoom meetings, people should contact Chris Andrews at christopher.andrews@greensboro-nc.gov or call 336-373-2918.
People may also visit www.greensboro-nc.gov/ADUs to learn more about the proposed changes to the ADU ordinance.
Those changes include not requiring the owner to occupy the primary or the accessory dwelling, which means that owners of rental property could add an accessory dwelling to a single-family residential lot.
The maximum size of the proposed ADU has also been increased from a maximum of 30 percent of the square footage of the primary dwelling to a maximum of 50 percent of the primary dwelling.
The requirement that the ADU “must retain a single family appearance from the street” has been removed. However, the proposed new ordinance does require that the accessory dwelling have a permanent foundation and not be a manufactured or moveable structure.
The proposed ordinance also removes the requirement of providing additional off-street parking for an ADU.
Only one ADU is allowed per lot and the ADU may not be sold separately from the primary dwelling.
Sounds positive but a drop in the bucket to fix the affordable housing shortage problem.
I guess the plan is that the granny flat will have no trees, so it will not be affected by the new improved leaf mismanagement program? Most grannies are in no position to comply with the new leaf regulations…
And don’t forget, they can only be built in White rich neighborhoods.
Be careful citizens. There is an unspoken motive from this city council.
You’ve got to be kidding? We are going to put all of the homeless in accessory dwelling units, (Dutch barns) in everyone’s backyard for the homeless? Uh. Rent? Utilities? Just drop a barn in anyone’s yard. I’m sure neighborhoods will LOVE this. I intend on submitting my comments for sure. And I’d like to know what other SIMILAR cities are doing. Asheville is building Yurts! Was this the manager’s idea again? Or Hightower’s.
As a family, we have spent over $950,000 on assisted living, nursing homes, and memory care for my mom & dad as well as my wife. That is/was a life-changing amount of money and because of that expense, it has made my later years a bit more difficult. If you have never been in this situation it is hard to explain the feeling you get. When your loved one enters a facility they are either paying the bill themselves a “full retail” pricing or they are on Medicaid at “wholesale” pricing. If you are full retail, quickly you realize that not only are you paying for the family member, but you are also paying a huge “facility tax” to help defray the costs of those who are on the wholesale pricing plan. Just imagine that your loved one entered with a huge bucket of cash and every service provider is circling that bucket with a huge straw trying to suck out what they can before it’s all gone and the resident moves to the wholesale pricing plan…..that is how it feels and there is little you can do about it. ADU’s / Granny Flats would have been very helpful, but I would not want a permanent structure, nor do I think it should be required. The whole purpose would be to keep your loved one close, but still allow them some independence without breaking the bank. I see no reason why a leased specialty unit could not be brought in and set up on a temporary foundation with proper landscaping and then removed when there is no longer a need. In my mind, these would be more of a “studio or” apartment that would allow your loved one some privacy but within a few steps of the main house. I am sure my neighbors would have been happy to accept a well-kept temporary structure to keep my loved ones close in their time of need. But, if they thought I might later plan to house homeless, immigrants, Section 8 residents, or even college students, they might not be quite so accepting. This whole thing stinks of politics…the city will allow you to care for your family member affordably, only if you agree to be a full-time landlord later to ease the city’s burden down the road.
Long term care is a RACKET. That includes the insurance you might buy for this reason. Your summary is right. You get Medicaid LTC only if you are broke, after you have spent everything you had first. So most folks can’t afford it, and go on the govt dole. The LTC facility makes it up with self-paying customers. These fancy LTC buildings are all over the place – giant money-sucking facilities.
If you are rich, you can afford it. If you are middle class, the cost can ruin you. If you are indigent, the taxpayer & paying customers will pay for it. I have seen it, and I know the costs. The U.S. govt has an online site that rates these facilities – check these out before spending your money.
Solutions:
1. Sometimes, people are hospitalized and cannot recover the ability to take care of themselves. On some
occasions, patients are moved to a recovery facility; Medicare will pay for 100 days, less deductible.
2. The spouse should look after the other at home.
3. Die before you need it. (throw grandma from the train)
My mother-in-law is 91, so she could need constant care any day. I, my wife, and her son have agreed to take care of her.
Our govt is not in the business of building homes, private enterprise does that. If it is not profitable for the builder, they will not build it. That’s what is called supply & demand (capitalism).
If you can’t afford a home, why is it my problem? I wasn’t able to buy my first home until age 31, and pay off the last one at age 66. If I can do it, so can you.
Most grannys are flat.