Northwest Lower Michigan is gaining population overall, but its numerous small towns are losing people as the average household size shrinks. Average household size in the 10-county region plunged from 3.28 people per dwelling in 1970 to 2.48 in 2000. About two-thirds of the region’s households consist of only one or two people.
Some local officials are trying to revive the local tradition of “granny flats,” “carriage houses,” or “mortgage helpers,” in which homeowners rented out small backyard or upstairs units. Common in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the practice offered significant benefits to the homeowner, who earned a supplementary source of income, and to the renter, who paid a modest rent to live in a neighborhood he otherwise could not afford.
Some residents, landlords, and realtors — including several with an interest in keeping rental markets tight — raise fears about crime and blight to make their case. Some say that granny flats will bring more renters into their neighborhoods; others that the flats will change the character of the community, lead to all sorts of parking problems, and bring more single people to neighborhoods that are zoned for single families.
But the accessory building units are enjoying a revival. The logic is compelling:
Cities and towns have a shortage of quality, right-sized housing for people who live alone or in pairs. With America’s average household size falling, more singles and couples are forced to move into homes that have too much room. This not only wastes some of their rent or mortgage money, it also leaves lots of unused bedroom space, which effectively pushes down that community’s population.
Virginia, too, once had a strong tradition of granny flats, carriage houses and basement apartments. Those types of rentals are much rarer now, and almost unknown in the suburbs. I’m not sure exactly why, but I suspect it has a lot to do with zoning codes and subdivision covenants. Virginians need to revisit the idea. Households are shrinking in size her as well, and there is a paucity of economical dwelling space for many.
Aside from addressing the Affordable and Accessible Housing Crisis, a major plus, permitting more flexibility in residential rentals would help build stronger, tighter-knit communities. A revival of granny flats would help dissolve the demographic monocultures in suburban areas that segregate households by age, income and family type. Finally, I would add a moral/ethical argument: As long as they’re not inconveniencing their neighbors, people should have the right to share their houses with whomever they want, under whatever economic arrangement they want.