Accessory Dwelling Units for Lake Worth?

Copied from Nextdoor:  I have been told that Anthony Marotta wrote it but authorship is unverified. Mr. Marotta is a licensed community property manager and president of the Parrot Cove Neighborhood Association. It is an excellent argument as to why we do not want ADU's.

"There is a City workshop June 25 at 6pm at City Hall regarding an effort that would effectively triple the permitted density in our single family residential neighborhoods  from 7 units per acre to 21 units by allowing up to 2 Accessory Dwelling Units, or ‘ADUs’ be built on lots in all single family residential neighborhoods. This is being spearheaded by Commissioner Omari Hardy. Those living in these areas should take note of this effort.

Summary:
This will greatly encourage sober homes, a proliferation of Airbnbs and increased cost of real estate all making homeownership that much more difficult to attain. It will alter the character of the neighborhoods, promote more investor buy ups and maxing out of property, create constant parking deficiencies, and present daunting tasks for code enforcement as they try to regulate things they can’t get access to.

Having a background relevant to this, I have spent much time reviewing the topic. I live in one of the affected neighborhoods and have an ADU that would become a legal rental that I could profit from and I am wholeheartedly against this, based on the following:
Commissioner Hardy has stated the following reasons this must happen for our city:

•  “The city needs more residents to shop in the downtown.” Why sacrifice the quality of life of the residents so that there will be a few extra people to get haircuts and get a drink so the investors from Boca who are buying up all the commercial property can rent their space at inflated prices?

•  “People will be able to ‘age in place.’” You can do that now. These structures are permitted in multifamily by right and you can construct these units in SR7 neighborhoods without a stove. Frankly if the city could not get a former commissioner who allegedly had an illegal second unit built into his place, to open up his door for inspection, will city inspectors be knocking on doors to find out if someone put a stove in their rear unit for their grandmother?

•  “States cities such as Portland Oregon, Vancouver British Columbia and Tacoma Washington have used ADUs to address housing affordability issues.” Neglects to state these cities have nothing in common with LWB. Those cities have housing affordability issues due to, in most part, because they have too many rich people. LWB has the opposite with an over abundance of very affordable cost housing and lack of rich people.

Other Major Considerations Not Being Brought Up:

•  Sober homes will proliferate. This is opening up the doors to this highly profitable segment to really max out their investment. These operators have the cash to make this happen quickly and this destructive force will be given the full speed ahead. Fair housing and ADA laws protect these operators and the city will be powerless to stop them. Why would we do anything to add more of them?

•  Airbnb will be a very attractive use for this. It will push up rents and home prices as inventory goes to this higher dollar value venture instead, further eroding affordability in desirable areas. Per state law, the city can’t restrict them.

•  This is a back door effort to triple density and upzone neighborhoods without following the normal procedures that would alert residents to what is going on and how their neighborhood is about to get drastically more crowded.

A resident of the Tropical Ridge neighborhood cited a real life example of how a number of illegal home modification and ADUs have proliferated and the area he moved into as a single family is now a multi family with the streets and yards full of cars.

When asked how he would prevent that from happening everywhere, Commissioner Hardy stated that he would use warrants if necessary to force people to allow them in. There is an uprising when certain areas get red tagged for abandoned cars, but the city is going to get warrants over an ADU inspection?

The city struggles to enforce its codes now, but somehow will be able to enforce what is going on in units in the back of properties?

Commissioner Hardy has stated he believes there should be no parking regulations at all. This helps to understand why he is disinterested in resident’s concerns over parking.

The main issue is density, which manifests itself by affecting several quality of life issues
· Parking in these neighborhoods, many of which are either historic or older in general, is not adequate for the current need. Adding up to four+ cars per homesite will fill the roads and encourage owners to pave over more of their yards for parking, creating heat sinks and diminishing our green areas. A house has room on the road for 2 cars in front, not 6.
· Renting the ADUs will add a revenue stream that is factored into the price of the home. This in turn puts upward pressure on housing prices and effectively pushes homeownership further away from people as well as means they always have to rent the unit to afford the cost. Creates additional exclusivity in areas due to higher income requirements.
· Who came to the City Commission and demanded they take action on allowing ADUs? This has never been a pressing matter in our city ever.

This is simply a solution looking for a problem, and will absolutely create those problems."