New York will provide up to $400 to homeowners who want to build additional cottages on their property

Homeowners in New York City can apply for nearly $400 to build cottages and additions to their properties, reports SiLive.

City offers nearly $400 incentive homeownerswho wish to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs) permitted by applicable zoning laws on their property.

Pilot program Plus One ADU will provide up to $395 in financing to 000 qualified New York City homeowners. The money will be available to build or retrofit ADUs—backyard cottages, basements and additions to existing housing—on your property.

Plan Details

The program is funded through the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and grants from New York State Homes and Community Renewal. It provides homeowners with financial and technical support, including resources for preparatory work and construction.

On the subject: New Yorkers are urged to report neighbors who litter on the sidewalks: a 'wall of shame' has been created for slobs

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the program's new tool will create opportunities to cut through "bureaucratic red tape." It will help meet the administration's goal of creating up to 108 new homes over 850 years, including legalizing accessory dwelling units.

The city will amend existing zoning laws to allow one- and two-family homes in New York City to add accessory dwelling units of up to 74 square meters.

Not everyone is happy about the changes

Currently, during the public comment period, the Adams administration has encountered significant opposition from less densely populated areas of the city. Staten Island community boards and elected officials opposed it. They expressed serious concern that the proposed reforms would change the character of the county's quiet residential neighborhoods and exacerbate existing infrastructure problems.

“To me, accessory dwelling units are just a self-defeating idea,” said Phil Rampulla, an urban planner with New Dorp-based Rampulla Associates Architects and co-chair of the New York City Building Industry Association's City Planning Committee. “If the property was big enough, it could be done.” But this is something that needs to be decided on a case-by-case basis.”

The biggest complaint about the proposed plan is that it would eliminate the current on-site parking requirements for every new development. at home., including ADUs. Current zoning requirements for Staten Island require 1,5 on-site parking spaces for every home built. For example, a new single-family requires two off-street parking spaces, while a two-family requires three.

“ADUs, or tiny homes, make retirement and living locally more affordable for people as they age. ...But there is a negative point. New buildings reduce open space. They will obviously add cars to the streetscape,” said Randy Lee, a Graniteville real estate developer and attorney.

Department of City Planning officials stressed that despite the projected increase in housing units and residents, the character of Staten Island neighborhoods will remain largely unchanged under the proposal.

“New Yorkers feel the impact of our housing crisis every day. From seniors who can't stay in the communities they helped build, to young families looking to buy their first home, explained Department of City Planning (DCP) Director DanGarodnick. – Accessory homes are a proven solution to help provide space for a loved one or caregiver, or to provide additional income. All this without significantly changing the character of the area. That’s why legalizing ADUs is part of our proposal to provide a little more housing in every neighborhood.”