When Jennifer Superka and her husband, Brian, bought their home in Denver’s Sunnyside neighborhood in 2010, they had a broken down old blacksmith studio at the back of their property.
Shortly after, they decided to convert the shop and overhaul it into an apartment that they rent out. The money they get nearly pays for their mortgage.
“I was thinking maybe down the line my mom would move in, but the bedroom is a loft, so it’s not very practical,” Jennifer Superka said.
She is just one person taking advantage of the city’s new zoning codes that took effect in 2010 that, in part, allowed for more accessory dwelling units, commonly referred to as “granny flats” or cottage houses. They were added to the zoning code to give more options for people to move in family members such as elder parents, or for seniors to perhaps move in a caretaker and still maintain a private residence.
The units can be attached or detached separate units of a house that allow for an independent living space. The city only tracks newly built cottage houses, but there is an uptick, as 66 units have been built in areas of the city where the zoning code permits the additions since 2010. With all carriage houses or granny flats, the owner is required to occupy one of the units and must own both structures.
Superka’s unit is not among the 66, as the building was converted from a pre-existing structure.
“Under the old code, (accessory dwelling units) were only allowed in parts of the city and the newest mixed-use zoned districts,” said Kyle Dalton, principal city planner with Denver’s Community Planning and Development.
Popular neighborhoods that have seen the bulk of the new units include Berkeley/Regis, Platt Park, Five Points and Whittier. Some of these neighborhoods saw the units as a middle ground between single-family and duplex housing to keep the character of the neighborhood, but open up new housing opportunities.
Other neighborhoods, such as Park Hill, didn’t want to allow the units and the new zoning reflects that.
“It’s one way to chip away at affordable housing in a community without having negative impacts that other developments are sometimes perceived to have,” Dalton said.
The city’s old zoning code, which took effect in the 1950s, did not allow the carriage houses or granny flats in single-family residential areas. Some existed and still exist in areas that were zoned for two units, according to Community Planning and Development spokeswoman Andrea Burns.
Mollie Crow, also in the Sunnyside neighborhood, is in the midst of building a garage with a carriage house above it after tearing down her old garage. Crow’s path to building has taken some time, as she intends to the do the construction herself.
Both Crow and Superka said the permitting process is arduous, but both are glad the city allows the cottage houses. Crow said she intends for her parents to live either in the unit or her home.
“I would say it adds more community, it allows young couples who want to live here and can’t afford it or don’t want to live in apartment complex,” Crow said.
The dwelling unit will also increase the value of the home, but by how much remains in question.
According to Denver assessor Keith Erffmeyer, the value will vary based on the amenities in a unit. He compared it to adding a finished basement, but said it’s hard to judge how much a unit will increase the value.
“It’s in the eye of the beholder,” he said.
Joe Vaccarelli: 303-954-2396, jvaccarelli@denverpost.com or @joe_vacc
