Oct 2017 Skinny

1. Inside views and news
The SKINNY
G E O R G E T O W N - S C O T T C O U N T Y
P L A N N I N G C O M M I S S I O N
October 2017
September
Construction Progress
Grading has begun on
Home 2 Suites, behind
Crackerbarrel on Outlet Cen-
ter Drive.
Why small will soon be large
Many cities and small towns are once again promoting the use of accessory dwelling
units, the small housing type that has Big potential.
Growing cities around the U.S. are grappling with skyrocketing rents and home prices - and
increasingly looking to accessory dwelling units (ADUs) for relief. These small homes built in
the backyards, attics, and basements of single-family houses can offer solutions to cities facing
steeply rising rents, displacement, and lack of affordable, high quality housing.
Long seen as a novelty in real estate development, ADUs are experiencing a new wave of in-
terest from organizations as diverse as Smart Growth America, Sightline Institute, and AARP.
Major cities like Austin, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Nashville, San Diego and Min-
neapolis have made recent legislative changes to make ADUs easier to build. Growing towns and
suburbs can benefit as well. The Georgetown-Scott County Comprehensive Plan, “Great Scott,”
recommends exploring the use of Accessory Dwelling Units as a way to provide affordable flexi-
ble rental units in established neighborhoods.
Benefits for communities and families
For housing-crunched cities and towns, ADUs offer new ways to increase affordable housing
options and provide a range of housing units that meet the needs of all types of families. Increas-
ing housing supply and housing options is a key factor to promote housing affordability. The
choice for most cities is to build “up” into apartment or condominium towers creating multi-
family areas that are densely developed with one homogenous building type. Building new high-
density housing “out” on previously undeveloped land also increases infrastructure costs and air
pollution from transportation and commuting.
ADUs are a particular form of infill — they are built “in” existing residential neighborhoods,
and in existing single-family home lots that were previously considered closed for development.
For the homeowners who manage their construction, ADUs present opportunities to earn rent-
al income and have greater flexibility in their housing. ADU owners can use their secondary
homes to offer low-cost housing for children returning from college, create age-friendly housing
for their parents, or can even design the units for their own future retirement.
New building permits
City 31
County 34
Subdivision plats
reviewed and recorded 8
LOC sureties $ 3.9M
Cash sureties $ 643K
Mapping Your World
On May 8, 1872, Lewis
West, a successful gunsmith,
deeded approximately 7 acres
to the City of Georgetown.
This deed laid the ground-
work for what we now know
as the Boston Neighborhood.
The land was divided into 46
lots, each ranging from 0.14
to 0.16 acres. The land is sit-
uated along Main Avenue,
then known as Greeley Street,
Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
known as Brown Street, and
Conley Avenue, formerly
known as Bell Street. Follow
this link to view the deed:
gis.gscplanning.com/Boston.
In the Pipeline
Tri-Village Storage – removal of an existing parking lot and construction of four
11,000+ sq. ft. storage units on 2.79 acres, located on the west side of Connector
Road, north of the existing car wash.
Time to Shine Car Wash – removal of the self-service bays, enlargement of full service
by 650 sq. ft., and re-working of vacuum station area at car wash located on Osborne
Way, in front of Walmart (formerly Soapy Joes).
The Shoppes at Cherry Point – 17.32-acre commercial development, zoned B-1 and in-
cluding nine commercial buildings between 5,575 sq. ft. and the largest a 20,417 sq. ft.
fitness center, located on the northeast corner of Ikebana Drive and Blossom Park
Drive.
Watch out for our kiddoes
on October 31st!