Repealing the ban on #CoachHouses and accessory dwellings will not fix the problems that exist in Chicago’s #housing sector. On the contrary, it will create more problems than we already had by lifting all of the prohibitions put into place in 1957. Those rules were put in place to protect our city. Now we're supposed to believe that coach houses are supposed to boost the city’s supply of affordable housing? Hardly. It is a complete fallacy created to win votes.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her administration passed an ordinance allowing for the creation of coach houses and ADU's, which were banned in 1957 when the city's #zoning codes were overhauled. Reversing the ban is supposed to provide an innovative way for Chicago to add to its inventory of affordable housing, which will in turn provide financial stability for homeowners and energize neighborhoods. However, the ordinance will not have the desired results as anticipated by the proponents.
Marisa Novara, Commissioner for the Department of Housing (DOH) called ADU's "an almost invisible way to increase rental options," but there are many pitfalls which they did not take into consideration. First of all, "almost invisible" is not the same thing as "unnoticeable." Coach houses will promote an influx of substandard housing and noisy, cramped neighborhoods. They will negatively impact the quality of life in neighborhoods that used to be peaceful and quiet.
What will happen if the city is lax regarding the implementation of regulations and rules that guide the ADU's? As it stands, Chicago has decided to give property owners a way to increase their income by renting out extra units in desirable neighborhoods, which will obviously increase the population density. The more crowded their properties become, the more money they can make. The extra traffic will lead to more potholes in the roads, but there doesn't appear to be any miraculous source of funding for maintenance, so the city won't be able to keep up with the maintenance. This is exactly how slums are built.
Steven Vance, founder and CEO of Chicago Cityscape, has said that allowing ADU's "doesn't change the visible character of the block." OK, that's great, but what about the quality of life for residents who are already living there? It might look the same to people who are just passing through the neighborhood, but the residents will notice how much privacy they have lost in the name of "affordable housing." The whole reason for the zoning code's creation was to discourage population density from increasing dramatically. There is nothing to stop a large family from crowding themselves into a studio
The ADU ordinance does not contain any provisions for precincts to vote on whether more coach houses will be built in their district, and it gives no limit for the allowable number of external cottages or internal basement apartments in any neighborhood. Coach houses will continue to be fiercely debated, as we have already witnessed in other cities around the country. Chicago City Council made the wrong decision when they chose to allow ADU’s.
