It is time to have a frank discussion on meeting the needs of our aging population. I have watched over my career what I and most deem as poor public policy in providing housing for the empty nester buyer. Anybody in the real estate industry will confirm that not enough lots or communities built or in planning stages to meet the needs of the plus 50 crowd. Nor are the ordinances for Accessory Dwelling Units in line with our current needs.
We have seen growth in designing single family with a dual living capacities. For example, a single level home with a basement provides an excellent opportunity to provide living arrangements for extended families. The downside is that there is only one level of the home that actually has single level living. Somebody has to negotiate the stairs. You can add an elevator (which we have) but it is expensive.
We have also built Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU’s) to help meet these needs. These are small apartment like buildings that can either be one or two stories that meet the need of dual living. Typically they range from 500-1000 square feet. There currently are outdated rules in the local ordinances that think should be addressed sooner rather than later.
We are a much more diverse community now than when these rules were put in place. We see needs for families taking care of both young and old. Some of it is cultural. At one time in our history it was common to have dual living arrangements
It is time to have a frank discussion on meeting the needs of our aging population. I have watched over my career what I and most deem as poor public policy in providing housing for the empty nester buyer. Anybody in the real estate industry will confirm that not enough lots or communities built or in planning stages to meet the needs of the plus 50 crowd. Nor are the ordinances for Accessory Dwelling Units in line with our current needs.
We have seen growth in designing single family with a dual living capacities. For example, a single level home with a basement provides an excellent opportunity to provide living arrangements for extended families. The downside is that there is only one level of the home that actually has single level living. Somebody has to negotiate the stairs. You can add an elevator (which we have) but it is expensive.
We have also built Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU’s) to help meet these needs. These are small apartment like buildings that can either be one or two stories that meet the need of dual living. Typically they range from 500-1000 square feet. There currently are outdated rules in the local ordinances that think should be addressed sooner rather than later.
We are a much more diverse community now than when these rules were put in place. We see needs for families taking care of both young and old. Some of it is cultural. At one time in our history it was common to have dual living arrangements