Joseph Miscimarra

Joseph Miscimarra

Joseph Miscimarra is a proponent of additional dwelling units, such as coach houses and granny flats. He supports a Chicago City Council ordinance that would expand and improve a pilot program to again allow the units, but the proposal is currently stalled in committee.

“In the spring of 2023, some friends from college told me a spot in their house in Lakeview would open up that summer. I was living in the suburbs but I wanted to move closer to my girlfriend and other friends who lived on the North Side of the city. I’m also someone who cares a lot about my carbon footprint, so I wanted to live in a walkable neighborhood and sell my car. The timing, cost, transportation options and proximity to downtown worked out well.”

“I didn’t choose to move in specifically because the house was an accessory dwelling unit, I just signed the lease because living arrangements were as close to perfect as they could have been. But as I learned more about Chicago’s zoning practices, I began to understand that the living arrangements were ideal precisely because it was a coach house.”

“I would recommend living in an ADU if it’s an option. They can offer some reasonably priced units in a variety of neighborhoods. New residents should be aware that most coach houses tend to be on the older side, thanks to the foolishness of the 1957 ban on ADUs. But older homes can still be in good shape and can even have more fun details and quirks than newer homes.”

“Coach houses could offer more space than you might find in apartments in the same neighborhood. And some units in basements or attics, or on top of garages, might be an even better deal for renters.”

“If ADUs didn’t exist in Lakeview, the lack of housing inventory would drastically drive up rent prices and taxes. It is likely that I would have to pay much more to live in a smaller home farther from my desired location. Car-free renters like me would have a smaller selection of options, since fewer properties would be exempt from onerous parking requirements. The presence of ADUs enables me to live in a neighborhood that is both walkable and affordable. I’ll forever be grateful for my coach house.”

“[Ald. Bennett Lawson’s] ordinance [SO2024 – 0008918] is good, and it should be passed as soon as possible. Personally, I think ADUs should be allowed by right in all residential districts, including RS-1 and RS-2. It seems against the interest of residents of single-family homes that they would need to get permission to build an extra home on their own land to be closer to their aging parents. If I lived in one of those zones, I would try to get all my neighbors to tell their alderman that they don’t want micromanagement of their property.”

Joseph Miscimarra
Energy efficiency consultant, coach house resident
Lakeview neighborhood, Chicago, Illinois

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