Recreating Healthy Neighborhoods with Accessory Dwellings
By Cyril Stewart, Past President
3 min read Nashville resident and community leader tells his story about why detached accessory dwelling units are not only a great way to maintain architectural character, but to bring affordable housing stock into neighborhoods. He makes the case for more diverse, multigenerational communities as a result of these units.
To learn more about Accessory Dwelling Units, visit the feasibility blog post.
Single Family Zoning prevents continuation of Multigenerational Homes
I live in Nashville on Whitland Avenue, in a neighborhood built starting in 1910—wide streets, sidewalks, smaller lots, and homes closer together. Since the beginning, many homes had lodging for extended family, college students, and others in the backyards. Sometimes this was a small cottage, sometimes an apartment over the garage, sometimes in the basement. What resulted, and still exists, is a neighborhood where you may run into a college student, elderly person with a relative or nurse with them on their walk, and a wide range of economic diversity. It’s a socially rich neighborhood. It’s a socially healthy neighborhood.
When the pandemic struck, one of the younger neighbors chatted with me during a walk to find out how I was faring. They wouldn’t let me leave before giving me their phone number and a promise to call them if I needed groceries or anything else during these challenging times. In the 1940 census, it shows an average of 6 people, some with 3 generations, living in each house on Whitland; many homes were multigenerational. Whitland homes had single aunts, uncles or cousins living with them. Some had “nurses” which would have been a nurse caring for an elderly or infirmed resident or a nanny to care for small children. Some provided housing for maids, gardeners, or handymen. During the pandemic, many adult children, moved back into those backyard cottages or garage apartments to assist parents, save housing money, and work remotely.
Over the past several years, many neighborhoods have chosen to change their zoning to RS, single family zoning. This is to counter the explosion of construction of duplex homes and “tall and skinnies” that have eroded the character of many neighborhoods. But this rezoning means that those back yard cottages and garage apartments are illegal for occupancy. What results is a homogenous population with little of the social, economic, or age diversity that enriches our lives. It can lead to more isolation and loneliness, especially for those living alone.
Detached accessory dwelling units Can Provide Affordable Housing
Councilwoman At Large Burkley Allen has introduced legislation to our Metro Nashville Council to allow a minimum of thirty contiguous homeowners to request a zoning overlay that would allow for appropriately sized secondary residences to be built and occupied in the back yards of the primary homes. These “detached accessory dwelling units” (DADUs), would be subject to Metro’s existing robust standards and restrictions. These include that the building be architecturally subservient (smaller, shorter, and narrower) to the primary structure and be architecturally compatible with the character of the neighborhood. The owner of the property is required to live on site and maintain the property. This is important as having the owner there to monitor the activity of the other occupant helps ensure that behaviors are appropriate (e.g. no “animal house” parties, etc.). The DADUs cannot be used for short term rentals like Airbnbs.
These DADUs are, in my mind, a great part of providing affordable housing. Many restaurant workers, teachers, police, and firefighters can’t afford to live in cities like Nashville or Franklin and therefore, have been forced to move to outlying counties. This has drastically increased their cost and time required for commuting. DADUs provide a less expensive way for people to live close to work and families. This adds social, age, and economically diverse character to the neighborhood.
My favorite DADU story is of a couple who moved into a home with a backyard cottage. They rented it to a college graduate student for supplemental income while raising their family. Their children went off to college. A daughter moved back home…into the cottage. Then she married and her family grew. All enjoyed the fellowship and support of this extended family. At some point, the aging parents realized that it didn’t make much sense for them to struggle to maintain the larger home and for their daughter, her husband, and grandchildren to be squeezed into the cottage. So, they moved into the cottage, the growing family into the larger home, and continued to love and support one another.
Supporting DADU Legislation in Metro Nashville
I’m supporting Councilwoman Allen’s legislation and urge you to contact your councilperson to urge them to support it as well. It doesn’t impose any restrictions or burdens on anyone and provides a path for neighbors to come together to improve their neighborhoods.
Want to learn more about how to get involved in your community? Visit our Take Action page to find your Council Member or neighborhood group, submit a work order and more!
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