Shelterforce ADU Series

Shelterforce recently developed a six part series on ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units). While there is currently no hope of meaningful zoning reform in Grand Rapids, MI I believe this remains a critical topic to track as ADUs should be the clearest path for residents to invest in their own neighborhoods - right on their own property.

• 6: Affordable ADUs: How It’s Being Done, 2022-05-10
• 5: How Financing Barriers Keep ADUs Expensive, 2022-05-09
• 4: ADUs: Laws and Uses, Do’s and Don’ts, 2022-05-03
  • TLDR: Parking requirements are bad, Owner-Occupancy requirements are bad.
• 3: ADUs: Defined, Disambiguated, and Debated, 2022-05-03
• 2: What’s an Accessory Dwelling Unit?, 2022-05-02
• 1: What Does It Take to Get ADUs Built?, 2022-05-02

A related resource, particularly related to financing, is the previous UrbanGR post about the ADU Convening which The City of Grand Rapids barely participated in, in 2020. The Day#2 presentation "Financing and Access to Capital for Low/Fixed Income Homeowners" contains valuable info on presently available financing options.

Also related is UrbanGR's Zoning: Accessory Dwelling Units which remains the only accurate summary of the city's ADU related zoning.

Related

• New Studies Provide Further Evidence That Zoning Reforms Work, Forbes, 2023-08-28