What’s the issue?
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are small, independent housing units located inside or on the same lot as a principal residence. Until the 1970s, these were commonly allowed inside Lexington homes. Lexington’s Division of Planning has proposed a return to this policy, as well as allowing small dwelling units of up to 800 square feet on all urban, single-family residential lots in Lexington. The details of the proposal are outlined on this information sheet prepared by city government. More information about the process can be found on the city’s web page.
CivicLex, a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to increasing participatory democracy in Lexington, has analyzed the issue. Click here to see that work on the CivicLex website.
What’s the status of the issue?
City Council’s Planning and Public Safety Committee met Sept. 14, 2021, made some changes to the proposal and moved it along in the process. Click here to watch video of that meeting. For a summary of the council committee’s action, see the Sept. 15 Herald-Leader story linked below.
Recent news coverage
After 3 years, Lexington council moves ‘granny flat’ proposal forward with key changes
Lexington Herald-Leader, Sept. 15, 2021
Should Lexington allow ‘granny flats’ and ‘tiny houses’? Weigh in at Sept. 14 meeting. Lexington Herald-Leader, Aug. 13, 2021
Lexington plan for accessory dwelling units to get hearing. Lexington Herald-Leader, Aug. 10, 2021.
Plan to allow granny flats and tiny houses in Lexington advances, but with changes. Lexington Herald-Leader, Oct. 22, 2019
Dozens speak out against proposal to allow granny flats and tiny houses in Lexington, Lexington Herald-Leader, Sept. 26, 2019.
Will allowing granny flats and tiny houses help solve Lexington’s housing crunch? Lexington Herald-Leader, Sept. 19, 2019
Airbnb and other short-term rentals are big in Lexington. These people aren’t happy Lexington Herald-Leader, Sept. 10, 2019.
Will allowing granny flats and tiny houses help solve Lexington’s housing crunch? Lexington Herald-Leader, Aug. 9, 2019.
Could adding small units on lots with houses solve Lexington’s infill woes? Lexington Herald-Leader, July 10, 2017
Opinion columns
ADU policy attempts to undo the racist and classist zoning in Lexington neighborhoods. Lexington Herald-Leader, Sept. 13, 2021
Council proposal on ADUs would bring more development woes to Lexington. Lexington Herald-Leader, Sept. 10, 2021
ADU policy will let senior citizens age in place and solve development woes. By Drew Taylor, Lexington Herald-Leader, Sept. 22, 2019.
City’s ADU plan has plenty of flaws, but it can be fixed. By Dennis Duross. Lexington Herald-Leader, Sept. 21, 2019.
Accessory Dwelling Unit ordinance may be a good idea, but it lacks backbone. By Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Lexington Herald-Leader, Sept. 11, 2019.
No, proposed ordinance won’t create student slums of tiny homes and sheds near UK. By Bake Hall, Lexington Herald-Leader, Aug. 22, 2019.
Allowing ‘Granny Flats,’ tiny homes could cause havoc in areas near UK. By Dave Cooper, Lexington Herald-Leader, Aug. 16, 2019.
Additional resources
AARP’s website has more general information about ADUs and “granny flats” on its website.
Realtor Magazine article on the broad issue, from August 2016
Accessorydwellings.org is a website based in Oregon written by three people with expertise in affordable housing and environmental planning. It covers the topic nationally. For example, these articles discuss the experiences in Minnesota’s Twin Cities and Portland, Oregon.
An interesting New York Times article about Airbnb issues in Jersey City, New Jersey. While the issues of Airbnbs and ADUs aren’t the same, they share many similarities. Both are now issues in Lexington.