In a step toward Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly’s initiative to increase access to homes residents can afford, the Chattanooga City Council voted last week to approve an ordinance allowing homeowners living on single-family lots to build accessory dwelling units on their property under certain conditions.
Accessory dwelling units, alternatively known as in-law suites, carriage houses or granny flats, are often found above garages, in a detached structure or either above or below the principal dwelling.
Their construction will help address the city’s deficit of more than 5,000 housing units while providing space for seniors to age in place and for multi-generational households to live together.
“Many Chattanoogans are worried about being priced out of living in the city,” Kelly says. “This ordinance offers an immediate opportunity for residents to increase their property values and the city’s affordable housing supply, all while maintaining the character of our neighborhoods.”
The new ordinance states accessory dwelling units must be permanent structures limited to 700 square feet in size, with one accessory dwelling unit permitted per single-family dwelling.
The unit cannot be in the front-yard setback. They also will be limited to two stories when the height of the primary home is more than one-story, or no more than 24 feet when the primary home is one-story.
The ordinance does not supersede homeowner association rules or historic district guidelines related to accessory dwelling units and existing parking must be maintained or replaced if parking is lost in the course of creating the accessory dwelling unit.
Accessory dwelling units must also follow all design standards applicable to single-family detached houses.
Source: Office of the mayor