In-Law Suite? Guest House? Granny Flat? Carriage House? All of these names describe the same thing: the Accessory Dwelling Unit, or ADU. As its name suggests, an ADU is a secondary dwelling located on the same property as a “regular” house. Typically, they are required to be only a certain percentage of the size of the main house (this value varies by locality) and not visible from the street. By virtue of their accessory nature, ADUs are meant to be unobtrusive and unnoticed – the ideal place to house your nagging in-laws, recalcitrant teenager, or lingering guests. Or to rent to tenants.
In 2018, the city quietly designated ADUs as a by-right use on any single-family residential lot with an area of 6,000 square feet (SF-6) or larger. “By-right” means that no extra reviews or approvals are needed from the city beyond the designated development standards (lot coverage, setbacks, parking spaces, etc.). Lots smaller than 6,000 square feet require a Conditional Use Permit. Norfolk has five single-family zoning districts for reference, and SF-6 is the median size. You can see a map of Norfolk’s zoning districts here.
Before 2018, Norfolk didn’t permit the building of ADUs outside of East Beach. “We knew they existed,” said Jeremy Sharp, Zoning Administrator for the City of Norfolk, “but they were grandfathered in.” Historically – that is, before Norfolk’s zoning regulations – ADUs have been common in Ghent, Freemason, and Larchmont. “We don’t have a whole lot of data regarding how many ADUs have been built, but the city’s real estate office is working on finding all the ones that existed from before the zoning ordinance and up to now.” Sharp said. There haven’t been many new builds so far. Still, Sharp thinks “we would have seen a lot more if it wasn’t for COVID.”
ADUs are a part of Norfolk’s overall strategy for affordable housing. They could potentially fill a gap for both homeowners and renters by providing the renter with a place to live, while generating income for homeowners to pay property taxes and afford to remain in their homes. According to Norfolk’s ARPA public feedback, many homeowners, mainly senior citizens, struggle to afford home repairs and property taxes. (Author’s interjection: wouldn’t an ADU increase the property’s value and, therefore, taxes? Also, if someone could afford the costs of building an ADU, couldn’t they afford their repairs/taxes to begin with?)
ADUs can also reduce the number of vacant lots in residential areas. Digressing for a moment from ADUs, cities such as Chicago and Detroit have established vacant lot programs with wealth building, neighborhood stabilization, and beautification. Similarly, Norfolk’s new Department of Housing and Community Development is exploring the potential for selling City-owned non-conforming or vacant residential lots to adjacent homeowners. Under the current development regulations, a “non-conforming” residential lot is too small to build a house. But, combining two lots could give the homeowner the necessary 6,000 square feet to build an ADU on their new, larger property. Of course, they could do other things with their lot, such as a garden, patio, or enjoy more space.
A quick note about tiny homes: ADUs are undoubtedly small, but don’t confuse the two. In many localities, tiny houses are still illegal (which sounds dramatic but is true). A tiny home could function as an ADU, but the keyword here is “accessory.” There must be a primary residence on the property to be an accessory one. Dreams of pulling up with a tiny home and parking it on a vacant lot have yet to be authorized or fulfilled. However, Norfolk has a form-based code with guidelines that specify the dimensions of the building envelope concerning the lot it sits on. A search through the City Code did not reveal a minimum size, square footage, or floor area for a dwelling.
In most of the city, the maximum allowable size of an ADU is 500 square feet. Ocean View and East Beach can be a bit bigger (600 square feet). Sharp has some reservations about the size: “Anecdotally, we have heard that 500 square feet is too small. For the cost of doing the work, you don’t get a lot of bang for your buck. Besides, Grandma wants more space on her own, you know? Zoning-wise, it makes sense and is correct, but market-wise I think it’s too small.” Five hundred square feet is the size of most studio apartments. A quick look at Zillow shows the cheapest studio apartment in Norfolk is renting for $1,015 (at Pembroke Towers, if you’re wondering). It’s anyone’s guess whether ADUs would be cheaper on the rental market.
Will ADUs have a meaningful impact on Norfolk’s affordable housing supply? Maybe. It’s certainly a step in the right direction. ADUs provide a place to live for young workers, the elderly, the disabled, or empty-nesters, and breathing room for adult children or older parents. They can be connected to existing utilities, reducing the need for additional infrastructure investments. They are built on land one already owns, eliminating acquisition costs and preventing sprawl. ADUs can incrementally add density in large-lot neighborhoods while flying under the NIMBYs’ radar. In smaller-lot areas, they could incentivize the reduction of vacant lots and be an additional source of income to homeowners. In this post-COVID world, they could even be used to safely and comfortably quarantine. As more people take advantage of this opportunity, some pressure on Norfolk’s housing supply could be relieved.
Catie Sauer
Ghent, NFK
Catie was born in Norfolk and as an adult has lived here for two years and change. She has a master's in Environmental Planning and Design from the University of Georgia. She likes hiking, playing trivia, being a flaneuse, pinball, memes, and growing vegetables.
