ADUs and Affordability
ADUs, as compact infill dwellings, frequently provide a lower-cost choice for homeowners in areas where other residences are costly.
Their owners may benefit from the rental revenue that an ADU may generate, which can enable a homeowner afford to continue in place in some situations. Yet, because to the high cost of building, the chance to build or rent an ADU is not accessible to many Seattle residents. This section gives preliminary information on the sorts of areas where ADUs have been built and indicates areas for future survey study.
In 2018, the Seattle completed a Racial Equity Toolkit (RET) on policies for ADUs and found removing regulatory barriers could increase housing choices in single-family zones and have a positive impact on affordability and displacement. But it also found that regulatory reform on its own is insufficient to address racial disparities in housing and that, absent other policy interventions, wealthy, primarily white homeowners are most likely to have the capital necessary to create an ADU. The RET highlights the importance of actions beyond regulatory changes to ensure that Seattle’s ADU policy more equitably benefits lower-income households and households of color.
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