Norman residents can now build tiny houses next to their homes – KOCO Oklahoma City

5 minutes, 33 seconds Read

COCO DAKOTA WARR ACRES KAI. WITH THE IMPACT THE CITY NORMALLY ONLY ALLOWS YOU TO BUILD A HOUSE LIKE THIS ON YOUR PROPERTY. BUT NOW THEY SAY YOU CAN BUILD AN ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT, ALSO KNOWN AS AN ADU ON YOUR PROPERTY. IMAGINE A GARAGE APARTMENT THAT’S NOT A GARAGE. ADU IS SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS TINY HOMES ALLOWED. AS OF LAST NIGHT WHEN THE NORMAN CITY COUNCIL VOTED TO UNANIMOUSLY PASS THE IDEA. I DON’T SEE WHY WE’RE RESTRICTING WHAT PEOPLE CAN DO ON THEIR PROPERTY. I DON’T THINK THESE THINGS ARE GOING TO COME UP LIKE POPCORN ALL OVER THE PLACE, COUNCIL MEMBER HELEN GRANT SAYING WHILE IT MAY BE CHEAPER THAN SOME OPTIONS, THERE ARE THINGS WITH THIS TO CONSIDER. LET’S SAY IT’S LIKE 900 A MONTH THAT’S AFFORDABLE TO SOMEBODY, WHEREAS SOMEBODY WHO’S LIVING ON 500 A MONTH THAT’S NOT AFFORDABLE, AND THEY WOULD NEED SECTION EIGHT HOUSING TO HELP THEM MAKE UP THE DIFFERENCE. THERE ARE RESTRICTIONS FOR THESE ADUS. IT CANNOT BE TALLER THAN THE ORIGINAL HOUSE ON PROPERTY. IT CAN’T BE MORE THAN 650FT, AND IT CAN’T BE A MOBILE HOME. THE MAYOR TELLS ME. ANY PROPERTY ZONED FOR SINGLE FAMILY HOUSING WOULD BE ELIGIBLE TO ADD THESE HOUSES TO THEIR PROPERTY. HOWEVER, HOAS COULD RESTRICT THESE FROM BEING BUILT. DURING THE MEETING, SEVERAL PEOPLE GOT UP SAYING THEY WERE FOR IT, BUT THERE WAS SOME PUSHBACK AGAINST THE ADUS BEING ALLOWED FOR SHORT TUM RENTALS COULD BE A SHORT TERME RENTAL. YES. THAT’S VERY DISTURBING. BED AND BREAKFASTS ALL OVER AGAIN. EVERYWHERE IN YOUR FRONT YARD. THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WORK IN BARS, WHO WORK IN RESTAURANTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, WHO CANNOT AFFORD, YOU KNOW, A THOUSAND $1,500 FOR AN APARTMENT EVERY, EVERY MONTH. SO THEY COULD MAYBE AFFORD AN $800 PAYMENT ON SOMETHING AND THESE ADUS WOULD BE ABLE TO HELP THEM WITH THAT. NOW, THESE WILL BE THE FIRST ADUS ALLOWED IN OKLAHOMA. AND COUNCIL MEMBERS SAY THAT OTHER CITIES ARE REACHING OUT TO THEM TO GET INFORMATION ON HOW TO GET I

Advertisement

Norman residents can now build tiny houses next to their homes

The mayor said any property zoned for single-family housing would be eligible to add these houses to their property

Norman residents will soon be able to build tiny homes on their properties, as councilmembers hope to address a need for affordable housing in the city. Usually, the city would not allow residents to build houses like these next to their homes. But now they will allow homeowners to build an accessory dwelling unit, also known as an ADUs or tiny homes, on their properties. >> Download the KOCO 5 AppThe Norman City Council voted Tuesday night, unanimously passing the idea. “I don’t see why we’re restricting what people can do on their property. I don’t think these things are going to come up like popcorn all over the place,” said Norman Mayor Larry Heikkila. While it may be cheaper than some options, Councilmember Helen Grant said there are some things to consider. “Let’s say it’s $900 a month. That’s affordable to somebody, whereas somebody who is living on $500 a month, that’s not affordable. They would need Section 8 housing to make up the difference,” Grant said. There are restrictions for the AUDs. It cannot be taller than the original house on the property, and it can’t be more than 650 square feet or a mobile home. The mayor said any property zoned for single-family housing would be eligible to add these houses to their property. But homeowner associations could restrict them from being built. Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.During the meeting, several people got up, saying they supported the measure. But, there was pushback against the ADUs being allowed for short-term rentals. “There are a lot of people who work in bars, restaurants and things like that that cannot afford $1,000-$1,500 on an apartment every month. So they can maybe afford an $800 payment on something. These ADUs would be able to help them with that,” Heikkila. These would be the first ADUs allowed in Oklahoma, and councilmembers said other cities have reached out to them for information on how to get it going. Top Headlines Nex Benedict Autopsy: Oklahoma ME releases full report on death Oklahoma could see snow amid colder, mixed showers on Wednesday A single ticket matched all the numbers needed to win the Mega Millions jackpot Enid city commissioner answers questions on white nationalist ties Is seeing the solar eclipse’s path of totality worth the trip? Baltimore bridge collapse: Minute-by-minute breakdown

Norman residents will soon be able to build tiny homes on their properties, as councilmembers hope to address a need for affordable housing in the city.

Usually, the city would not allow residents to build houses like these next to their homes. But now they will allow homeowners to build an accessory dwelling unit, also known as an ADUs or tiny homes, on their properties.

Advertisement

>> Download the KOCO 5 App

The Norman City Council voted Tuesday night, unanimously passing the idea.

“I don’t see why we’re restricting what people can do on their property. I don’t think these things are going to come up like popcorn all over the place,” said Norman Mayor Larry Heikkila.

While it may be cheaper than some options, Councilmember Helen Grant said there are some things to consider.

“Let’s say it’s $900 a month. That’s affordable to somebody, whereas somebody who is living on $500 a month, that’s not affordable. They would need Section 8 housing to make up the difference,” Grant said.

There are restrictions for the AUDs. It cannot be taller than the original house on the property, and it can’t be more than 650 square feet or a mobile home.

The mayor said any property zoned for single-family housing would be eligible to add these houses to their property. But homeowner associations could restrict them from being built.

Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.

During the meeting, several people got up, saying they supported the measure. But, there was pushback against the ADUs being allowed for short-term rentals.

“There are a lot of people who work in bars, restaurants and things like that that cannot afford $1,000-$1,500 on an apartment every month. So they can maybe afford an $800 payment on something. These ADUs would be able to help them with that,” Heikkila.

These would be the first ADUs allowed in Oklahoma, and councilmembers said other cities have reached out to them for information on how to get it going.


Top Headlines

Similar Posts