BLUFFDALE, Utah (KUTV) — Bluffdale is making it simpler for homeowners to offer accessory dwelling units as affordable housing solutions.
The city is creating a toolkit that will give homeowners an start-to-finish guide through building a detached stand-alone rental structures on their residential properties.
Holly Neilson, a Utah County resident who owns a home, said it was a challenge to find affordable housing.
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“It’s hard to find places that you can rent that are affordable,” she said.
Neilson also sees ADUs as financially beneficial.
“(It’s) a good way for people to make money if they’re going to rent it out or to help out family that need a place to live,” she said.
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However, not all residents are in favor.
“There’s a place for them, but as a homeowner, I don’t like them because it drives my property value down,” said Louis Jones, a Bluffdale resident.
State law passed in 2022 required most cities to have and enforce a Moderate-Income Housing Plan. As part of Bluffdale’s housing plan, they already allow for ADUs in a basement, but the creation of the new toolkit is to help residents build detached ADUs.
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Bluffdale Mayor Natalie Hall said there’s a dual benefit to ADUs: protecting open space and diversifying housing options.
“It just opens up a whole new world that maybe we didn’t have before,” Hall said.
She said ADUs are one option to help the housing situation in Utah.
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“We need more options every single day” Hall said.
The toolkit, provided by the city, will include a cost and construction checklist, recommended financing options, application and permit requirements, fire codes, guidelines on being a landlord, and a map of allowable locations.
Grant Crowell, Bluffdale’s Community and Economic Development Director, said the city will monitor the impact ADUs have on neighborhoods.
“We think we’ll be able to address a lot of the different parts of the housing spectrum, and this is just one of the ways,” Crowell said.
He said there are about a dozen ADUs in Bluffdale currently and is anticipating the potential for several hundred more.
More information can be found at Bluffdale’s Land Use Ordinances website.
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