Residents of Tacoma largely support a change to the municipal code that would make it easier for home owners to add a secondary living space on their property. The idea to allow more greater numbers of “Detached Accessory Dwelling Units,” or DADUs, was first taken up by the city in December 2017 as part of the city’s larger Residential Infill Pilot Program. Since then, accessory dwelling units have been permitted as part of a pilot program.
On February 19th the city held a public hearing at which public comment overwhelmingly supported a change to the city’s municipal code that would “outright allow DADUs in single family [sic] zoning districts.” According to the City’s website, “This will end DADUs as a part of the pilot program and move DADUs into a comprehensive Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) code that covers detached and attached types.”
Accessory dwelling units represent one effective response to the lack of affordable housing in Puget Sound. As part of a larger and comprehensive approach to housing that includes investments in multimodal public transit, an end to parking minimums, and zoning for greater density, ADUs can help make affordable housing a more present reality for residents of the region.
