Bend homeowners flood city with applications to build secondary dwellings
Secondary Dwelling Units are a great way to add housing to a neighborhood-- frequently, they can be more affordable than other rental options, and they can provide income to the homeowner as well. While Eugene allows secondary dwellings in many places, very few are getting built-- in the past year and a half, Eugene has issued exactly two building permits for new Secondary Dwelling Units. In part, our fee structure and restrictions in the code may be putting roadblocks for legal secondary dwelling units. Bend, on the other hand, is making it easier to build them. What can we do here to encourage secondary dwelling units as part of our housing strategy?
“Bend is seeing a record spike in applications for accessory dwelling units in the months since the city relaxed restrictions on their construction, a Bend newspaper reports.
The Bend City Council approved the measure earlier this year to make it easier for homeowners to build an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, in hopes of increasing the supply of affordable rental housing.”