Fayetteville may relax housing rules

Tonight, Fayetteville City Council will consider changing the city's rules concerning "accessory dwelling units," such as a separate or attached unit to a home where someone can live separately with their own entrance, bathroom or kitchen.

Why it matters: The changes are partly intended to make it easier for residents to earn money by renting the units and to offer more housing options, according to city documents.

What's happening: The city wants to increase the number of detached units a resident can have from one to two and keep the number of attached units at one. The city also wants to begin allowing the units in cluster housing developments, instead of only single-family homes.

What they're saying: Jonathan Curth, development services director, wrote in a memo to the mayor that the changes will help the city accomplish its stated goals to create opportunities for attainable housing and make housing relatively more affordable by influencing the cost of living.

• "Reducing restrictions on the ability to creatively build infill housing, including various types of ADUs, can increase the availability of different types of housing stock through lower up-front costs for construction and property acquisition. This, in turn, may lower the cost of rental units citywide, and especially in already developed, walkable downtown areas," the memo states.

Flashback: The Fayetteville City Council voted in April to begin allowing short-term rentals like Airbnb to operate legally in the city and begin a permitting process for them.

Go to the meeting: 5:30 tonight at City Hall or register to watch online here.