The Center for Urban Policy Research, Rutgers University-Building 4051, Kilmer Campus, New Brunswick, NJ 08903.
Notes:
CP.
Descriptors:
Accessory apartments. Zoning regulations. Local government. Low rent housing. Single family detached housing.
Abstract:
This book describes the accessory apartment -- the conversion of a portion of a primary dwelling unit into an apartment -- and assesses its potential as an emerging resource for meeting local and national housing needs. The first chapter considers the architectural and technological characteristics that make modern houses suitable for accessory conversions. The extent of housing conversion activity in the United States is estimated, including accessory conversions. Evidence is examined concerning the physical condition and cost of accessory apartment conversions as well as who owns them, creates them, and lives in them. Remaining chapters focus on policy issues. These include consideration of the causes and incidence of underused housing and an assessment of conversion potential. A chapter analyzes the social changes that account for the rising surplus space in houses and presents data on the incidence and estimates of the number of households with surplus space. Another chapter addresses zoning constraints on accessory apartment conversions and analyzes the rationales used by city planners and courts to justify exclusive single-family zoning. The author presents the case for relaxing controls on two-family dwellings and accessory apartments in exclusive single-family districts and reviews recent developments in zoning law that may create this opportunity. A case study of an aging California suburb illustrates the immediate physical impacts of accessory conversions in single-family neighborhoods. The final chapter examines different approaches for promoting and controlling accessory conversions. The book provides extensive graphic and tabular data, chapter notes, and a subject index.
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