Greensboro City Council amends regulations for accessory dwelling units

Greensboro City Council voted unanimously to amend its land development ordinance for accessory units at its meeting Tuesday. This loosening of regulations is part of an effort by officials to increase housing options.

According to the American Planning Association, these are smaller, independent dwelling units on the same lot as a residential home. The changes remove the square footage requirement and now allow for them to be as large as half the size of the primary building. Owners are also no longer required to live in the accessory or primary dwelling.

Greensboro Housing Coalition member Dan Curry said at the meeting he supports the amendment because it's an important step to finding ways to house an aging population.

"These provisions are one efficient way to encourage the development of additional housing to meet our community's growing needs without additional public subsidy," said Curry.

Curry said the changes will make it more likely that some homeowners will add a dwelling unit to their property.