Accessory rentals could help ease housing shortage

There is no single answer to Wrangell’s housing shortage. There is no magic 2-by-4 that borough officials can wave over the community to create new apartments and homes. Which means trying multiple small steps, such as accessory dwelling units.

The planning and zoning commission last week made the next move in advancing the housing ordinance to a public hearing. If approved by the commission and later by the borough assembly, the change to municipal code would allow property owners to put a small, detached rental on the same lot as a single-family home.

The draft approved by the commission explains: “Accessory dwelling units give homeowners flexibility in establishing separate living quarters adjacent to their homes so that they might provide housing opportunities for elderly or other family members, obtain rental income (or) provide affordable housing opportunities within the community.”

Of course, there would be some limits: No rentals added to small lots that would crowd the neighborhood; a 10,000-square-foot minimum lot size; the rentals could not exceed 800 square feet of interior space. And only one rental per lot.

They would have to be built on the side or back of the lot, and could not be taller than the home on the property.

Each accessory unit would need to have its own sleeping area, kitchen and bathroom.

Mobile homes, travel trailers and recreational vehicles would not qualify. The intent is to promote the construction of full-time rental housing to help ease the chronic shortage in town.

Following that same intent, anyone who builds an accessory dwelling unit and wants to rent it out for temporary use by vacationers or as a bed and breakfast would need to pass an additional hurdle — a conditional-use permit, which would require a public hearing and a chance for neighbors to weigh in on the request.

A borough staff report prepared for the commission said it best: “As the housing market continues to see a rise in land, development and home costs, the availability of affordable housing is decreasing in Wrangell.” Allowing the addition of smaller rentals on single-family lots could be a productive answer.

— Wrangell Sentinel