Accessory dwelling units, commonly known as ADUs, are gaining attention after Tampa expanded its rules in 2024<\/a>, allowing the units in more parts of the city.<\/p>\nRenee King has had an ADU on her property since she bought her Tampa home in 2007.<\/p>\n
She originally used the unit as a guest house. Today, she uses it as a short-term vacation rental.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ADUs in general are great for the neighborhood,\u201d King said. \u201cSeveral of my neighbors have them. We get to meet people from all over the world. A lot of our units are filled with families moving their kids into college.\u201d<\/p>\n
King said the rental income is helping her family pay for college expenses.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely helping us put a dent in tuition fees,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
King also sees the ADU as a long-term investment for her family.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it\u2019s ever needed, we\u2019ll always have it there for them,\u201d she said, referring to the possibility of her children using the unit after they graduate.<\/p>\n
Taryn Sabia, a Tampa Heights Civic Association board member and professor at the University of South Florida\u2019s College of Design, Art & Performance, said ADUs can provide a flexible housing option for people at different stages of life.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a great way to downsize,\u201d Sabia said. \u201cSo when we think about retirees wanting to have to maybe care for less of a house or smaller property or things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sabia said ADUs can also help families caring for multiple generations under one roof.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a number of families now that are the sandwich generation,\u201d she said. \u201cThey have young children at home and are also caring for aging parents.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sabia said the additional space can also make homeownership more financially feasible.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gives people an advantage of buying those properties because they do have a built-in income stream already coming into the property,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
King sees that income potential as another reason ADUs can benefit homeowners.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I think it\u2019s a great opportunity for homeowners to make some additional money or to house older family members, keep the family together,\u201d King said. \u201cIt\u2019s a great way for people that are on a fixed income to perhaps make some more money if they are able to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tampa\u2019s 2024 rule changes expanded the geographic area where ADUs can be built. Previously, they were limited to portions of Seminole Heights, East Tampa, Tampa Heights, and Armenia Gardens Estates.<\/p>\n
The eligible areas in Tampa now extend north to Sulphur Springs and Temple Crest and west to Wellswood and parts of Riverside Heights.<\/p>\n
The city also removed a previous requirement that property owners live in the main home. Owners can now live in either the primary residence or the ADU.<\/p>\n
Since the changes took effect, 28 homeowners have initiated the process to allow an ADU on their property, and seven have completed construction, according to the city.<\/p>\n
The city encourages homeowners interested in building an ADU to first determine whether their property is in an eligible area and review development and permitting requirements before beginning a project.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 For some Tampa homeowners, a small structure in the backyard is becoming a way to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":380546,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[274,558,770,2375,2287,115,135,137,136,278,835],"class_list":["post-380545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-app-top-stories","tag-business","tag-community-news","tag-fadia-patterson","tag-local-politics","tag-news","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news","tag-top-stories","tag-vod"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=380545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/380546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=380545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=380545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=380545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}