Zoning: Accessory Dwelling Units

Status

UPDATE 2024-11-05: Updated to include the applicability of table 5.2.08.G.1 related to maximum ADU size.

UPDATE 2024-04-23: On 2024-04-23 the City Commission adopted a collection of zoning reforms which included significant changes to Accessory Dwelling Units. All documents and commentary prior to this date should be disregarded.

Disclaimer & Purpose

This is not an official document; this document is not endorsed by the Grand Rapids Planning Commission, nor are its authors qualified to present legal opinions.

The purpose of this document is to provide an introduction to the regulations related to Accessory Dwelling Units in the city of Grand Rapids, MI as of late May, 2024. Within the Zoning the topic of Accessory Dwelling Units are directly addressed in section [5.9.03]. Other sections of the code may still impact the development of ADUs so we have attempted to cross-reference the most relevant sections.

The Stadium & The Amphitheater, Some Basics

The amphitheater and the soccer stadium have flooded the news. However, there is a lot of news, as well as a lot of misinformation. For convenience and simplicity . . .

Planning Agenda: 2024-05-09

The municipal agenda for the Planning Commission meeting on 2024-05-09 is ๐Ÿ‘‰here๐Ÿ‘ˆ


385 Leonard St NE

Aerial
Zoning

Any Questions?

A variety of information has been covered on this site, and a variety of data is provided/referenced. Recently I've look at the readership and it is way up ๐Ÿ“ˆ! That is encouraging after years of writing for who I've considered to be my eleven (11) devoted readers. ๐Ÿ™‚ For whatever reasons, more and more people are engaging in these topics. As explained on the about page this engagement is a good thing as a city is, ultimately, a community pragmatically organized to solve problems. In that spirit: what questions do you have related to the city, land-use, housing, transportation, etc...? Send us a message at awilliam@urbangr.org ๐Ÿ“จ
Tags: 

Grand River Edge East Trail, Segment 4 Easement

This morning's (2024-04-23) meeting of the Community Development Committee approved the easement for 150 Ann St NW - the Members First Credit Union - for the construction of segment #4 of the Grand River Edge Trail East which will connect Ann St and Leonard St. This trail will close the gap between Monroe North / Canal Park and the White Pine Trail.

Approximately four more easements need to be concluded, with the city currently engaging in negotiations with property owners. Bidding for construction contracts for the trail could begin in fall of this year (2024).

Some Miscellaneous Housing Data From The Zoning Reform FAQ

In response to the currently proposed zoning reforms the city has assembled ๐Ÿ‘‰an extensive FAQ๐Ÿ‘ˆ; I used data from that document as the basis for the ๐Ÿ‘‰"The Myth Of The Out-Of-State Housing Hoover"๐Ÿ‘ˆ post. That post lays out the data making it clear that the phenomenon of out-of-state developers collecting housing en masse has not happened here. Beyond laying that NIMBY trope to rest this document contains some particularly interesting nuggets which are worth calling out.

The Myth Of The Out-Of-State Housing Hoover

There is a common myth that "out of state" developers, generally from "Wall Street", are hoovering up Single Family Units (SFU). And in the era of free-money-for-those-with-money [interest rates sub-3%] this phenomenon did occur in some places where various other economic factors were in play. That's not in dispute. But, did it happen in Grand Rapids? And is it happening in Grand Rapids? To the data!

Tags: 

Pages

Subscribe to Urban Grand Rapids RSS