Tonight, the Salem City Council has on their agenda the new Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Ordinance and the 2019 ADU Ordinance failed final passage 6-5 for lack of a super majority.
The proposed ordinance would allow for the construction of an ADU by-right between 350-800 square feet with 1 dedicated off-street parking space and up to 2 bedrooms. The property owner would also be free to choose their tenant.
Introduced into this version of the ADU Ordinance are two new programs. If an owner offers their ADU as a 60% Area Median Income (AMI) Affordable Housing unit they can receive a property tax exemption and utilize a low-interest loan program for construction.
There are still some restrictions: short term rentals are prohibited and at least one owner of the property must use the property as their principle residence. There are also waivers and special permits that can be obtained to ease some requirements, like lower the parking requirement or increase the dwelling size.
