City of Tampa explores expanding city code to allow accessory dwelling units in more neighborhoods

TAMPA, Fla. - With Tampa in the middle of a crippling housing crisis, homeowners and renters are exploring alternatives. 

One solution? Accessory dwelling units, or ADUs. Examples include mother-in-law suites, garage apartments, or tiny houses in backyards. They can range in all shapes and sizes. 

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The City of Tampa is now looking at expanding city codes to allow them in more neighborhoods, which is why they hosted a meeting on the topic on Thursday night.

Thursday night's meeting is in response to surveys the city conducted showing a vast majority of homeowners are interested in learning more about how to build an accessory dwelling unit on their property. 

These ADUs can help supplement a mortgage payment and be a cheaper alternative for renters. It's all part of the city's effort to address the housing crisis.

Currently, Tampa city code allows ADUs in these 4 areas:

• Seminole Heights
• The area around Lowry Park
• The East Tampa Overlay
• The Tampa Heights Overlay

However, the city wants to look into changing city code to allow them in more neighborhoods to help combat the ongoing housing crisis.

"The city is really looking for a broad array of solutions to address that. There's not one single solution for it," Tampa Urban Planner Matt Pleasant said. "We kind of have to come at it from a couple of different angles to create and increase that supply."

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In Spring 2022, the city surveyed 982 residents scattered throughout 20 or so different zip codes about the topic of ADUs. When asked if they're interested in learning more about how to build an ADU on their property, 81 percent said yes. 

That's when the City's Planning Department started meeting with neighborhood associations and knocking on doors both to get the word out and address concerns from people worried about traffic and how it may change the make-up of their neighborhood.

"People just kind of want them to be compatible with the neighborhood and ADUs are really a great kind of solution for that," Pleasant said. "They allow you to kind of introduce a new unit without sort of, upsetting to look and the feel and the character of the neighborhood."

For example, neighborhoods like South Tampa have historically expressed to City Council they aren't interested in changing city code to allow ADUs, but other neighborhoods like Sulphur Springs are. 

It's why Thursday night the city's planning department visited the Sulpher Springs neighborhood association meeting to answer questions and hear concerns.

"There's always for and against, and I definitely understand some of the current concerns, but there's also a strong interest as well," Plesant said.

The Tampa City Council has the ultimate say on where ADUs are allowed and where they aren't, but the planning department says the feedback they get from each one of these meetings guides the council on where to make these code changes. 

The City says Sulpher Springs is the main area where they're focusing on changing city codes, but no word yet on when this issue might make it to city council.