Bungalower: City of Orlando gets grant to push accessory dwelling units

Brendan O'Connor, Bungalower

The City of Orlando has just shared that it ill be getting a $10,000 grant from AARP to help promote its Accessory Dwelling Unit programs, or ADUs.

The City will use the funds for an information and outreach campaign to inform residents that it’s much easier to build additional dwelling units than it once was, as part of an effort to increase affordable housing options in The City Beautiful. These non-traditional units are often a good fit for seniors and retirees, hence the AARP grant tie-in.

“The City of Orlando is committed to creating a community where every person has equal access to opportunities – including quality housing,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “This grant from our partners at AARP will help underserved communities learn more about housing options available and how they can help improve the quality of life for our seniors by allowing them to stay in place while maintaining a sense of independence.” 

Commonly known as garage apartments, accessory apartments, secondary suites, and granny flats, an accessory dwelling unit is a smaller apartment that is located on the same lot as a single-family home.

According to a press release from the City of Orlando, in 2018, the city amended its Land Development Code to make it easier to build on smaller lots by allowing more site planning flexibility for townhomes, duplexes, tandems, single-family homes, multiplexes, and accessory dwelling units. Since the adoption of the new development guidelines, 335 new accessory dwelling units have been constructed, totaling 656 units to date, which is more than double the amount from the previous decade prior to the implementation of the new rules. 

Click HERE to see the City of Orlando Development Standards for Accessory Dwelling Units.

Read the original article here.