PARTY IN THE BACK

AFTER DECADES UNDER THE RADAR, GARAGE APARTMENTS ARE MOSTLY OK

DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION, neighbors converted garages into apartments for struggling family members. They rented out back houses and porches to supplement their own income.

“Attractive garage apartment, couple. Available 1st. 5831 Prospect,” reads an October 1938 advertisement in the Dallas Morning News. “New 3-room garage apartment, refrigeration, nicely furnished. 1818 Moser,” reads another that November.

Granny flats, technically called “Accessory Dwelling Units,” are part of East Dallas’ history. They were prominent until the mid-1970s, when building and renting ADUs were banned. City officials hoped the limitations would curb second-rate living conditions in South Dallas.

The City of Dallas’ strict ordinance had two exceptions: Residents still could rent units built before 1946, and ADUs could be constructed if they weren’t a money-making venture. The caveats allowed homeowners to care for aging parents and, in theory, prevented commercialization.

Some residents operated them illegally anyway, with minimal consequences from the city.

But an angle on affordability pushed Dallas City Council to change the longtime ordinance and ease up on the restrictions. Ninety-eight percent of new apartments in Dallas were considered high-end in 2017, according to market data from Yardi Matrix, recently published by rentcafe.com.

ADUs won’t solve our city’s affordable housing crisis, but they may create diversity and prevent neighborhoods from

DID YOU KNOW?

Dallas City Council banned garage apartments in the 1970s, although they’ve been operating off the books for decades.

Story by ELISSA CHUDWIN

aging out, says City Councilman Philip Kingston, who serves Old East Dallas and Lower Greenville.

“I think it’s part of the solution … A granny flat in Forest Hills won’t go a long way toward helping the family of four who makes $30,000 and lives in Fair Park. [It does] allow entry-level school teachers, firemen, people working in service trades right now being squeezed to actually have a place to live,” says City Councilman Mark Clayton, who serves Lakewood and Far East Dallas.

Now neighbors can receive approval to construct and rent ADUs two ways:

• Apply to the Board of Adjustment for a special exception.

• Create an Accessory Dwelling Unit Overlay, where ADUs will be allowed within a specific community. This involves a neighborhood petition process and an authorized hearing with the City Council or City Plan Commission.

City Councilman Philip Kingston wants to make the process even easier. East Dallasites are enthusiastic about establishing an overlay, he says, but neighborhood associations have been reluctant to start the process. At this rate, he estimates there would be fewer than 20 new units per year.

“We made this essentially an opt-in ordinance to have ADUs,” Kingston says. “What we’re going to determine is doing all these hearings, and doing it neighborhood-by-neighborhood. Opting in is time consuming.”

His solution is an opt-out process. Instead neighbors would file paperwork with the City of Dallas if they did not want ADUs in their neighborhood.

“It’s not accomplishing a damn thing,” he says. “That’s frustrating. I’m trying to create an East Dallas that is sustainable for the future.”

If you’re worried that ADUs could overtake the city as, let’s say, Lime Bikes once cluttered White Rock Lake, rest assured that won’t likely happen. Dallas researched other cities, such as Austin, to see the impact of the ordinance, Kingston says. Austin has a population of about 950,000 people, and 200 additional ADUs have been rented or constructed since 2015.

How To Granny Flat

If you’re so inclined to make a little extra cash, these are the City of Dallas’ main requirements for the property:

• The Accessory Dwelling Units can’t be sold separately, and there must be additional water, sewer and electrical utility service on the lot.

• At least one off-street parking space is required, unless the property is located within 1,200 feet of a DART bus or transit stop.

• The ADU must be between 200 square feet and 700 square feet or 25 percent of the main house’s floor area.

• The ADU should be similar in color and style to the pre-existing home. Be forewarned: If you’re contemplating converting a back house to an Airbnb, Kingston suspects regulations to prevent that from happening could be introduced in the next few months.