“Last summer, the Charleston, South Carolina City Council approved an ordinance permitting homeowners in every area of the city to construct backyard cottages and garage apartments, formally known as accessory dwelling units (ADUs), on their property. The law was part of a series of efforts to bring more affordable housing to the city, where, according to a 2020 report, half of renters and a third of homeowners are cost-burdened, home prices are rising faster than wages, and new supply falls well behind demand.”
But, according to Geona Shaw Johnson, director of the city’s Department of Housing and Community Development, permitting ADUs is not enough.
“As we have looked at this across the country, most ADU initiatives get out of the gate pretty slowly,” she says. “It’s not likely people are running to local governments and raising their hand and saying, ‘I want to sign up right away.’”
So the City of Charleston will pilot a program paying homeowners to make the leap.
READ MORE:
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/charleston-will-pay-people-to-build-backyard-homes
ADDITIONAL COVERAGE:
https://www.postandcourier.com/news/charleston-wants-to-pay-homeowners-to-help-create-affordable-housing-on-their-properties/article_6d594cf6-b18e-11eb-ae60-d7cf5e02767a.html
