PARTY IN THE BACK

GRANNY FLATS OK’D AFTER DECADES UNDER THE RADAR

AN ANGLE ON AFFORDABILITY pushed Dallas City Council to make granny flats legal again.

Oak Cliffers renting out their garage apartments and listing back houses on Airbnb is the worst kept secret in Dallas. Though technically illegal, they receive minimal consequences from the city.

Now these “accessory-dwelling units” are legal as part of the city’s plan to make housing more affordable in Dallas.

Garage apartments, back houses and granny flats are part of Oak Cliff’s historic fabric.

During the Great Depression, neighbors converted garages into apartments for struggling family members. And they rented back houses to supplement their own income.

An “attractive, clean” garage apartment on South Willomet with tile in the kitchen and bath was advertised for $85 a month, all bills paid, in September 1953, for example.

City Council banned these rentals in the 1970s in hopes of curbing second-rate living conditions in South Dallas.

Until this past June, the Board of Adjustment only allowed accessory-dwelling units if they were not a moneymaking venture and didn’t disturb the neighbors.

By ELISSA CHUDWIN

DID YOU KNOW?

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