CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Cape Coral's Affordable Housing Advisory Committee will meet Thursday to discuss allowing Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU), small apartments that homeowners could build on their property to help address the city's housing concerns.
See what the potential requirements could be to build an ADU in Cape Coral:
The committee is reconsidering the idea after the City Council advised staff not to move forward with it in July 2024.
Thomas Senatore, vice chair of the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, said the units could help bigger families but some people have expressed concerns about potential misuse.
"The fear is they're going to use them for rentals. They may become Airbnb. They're going to bring in people that we don't want in our neighborhoods," Senatore said.
However, he believes the units could serve a beneficial purpose for families.
"What I would hope they'd be used for, is for your elderly parents or your grandparents, where they can't afford their rent anymore and they need a place to live," Senatore said.
Senatore says the proposed requirements would limit where these units could be built. While the average single-family home property in Cape Coral is 10,000 square feet, the proposed ordinance would require 40,000 square feet to build an accessory dwelling unit.
"You need to have a minimum of 40,000 square feet, which would be the equivalent of four buildable lots, or a total of eight lots, in order to put in an ADU, which most homes would not qualify," Senatore said.
He says this means the units would mainly be seen in northwest Cape Coral, where larger lots are more common.
On Thursday, the committee will decide whether to send the recommendation back to the City Council for reconsideration.
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