Can additional dwelling units help increase housing in Connecticut?

STONINGTON, Conn. (WTNH) — Donna Weeks loves living in the addition built onto her daughter’s home.

“My son-in-law Hugh said, ‘Let’s see what we can do, and you help me,’” Weeks said.

And so they built Stonington’s first ADU, or additional dwelling unit.

It was a way for her and her husband to downsize and to be close to her Hugh O’Brien and his family after he was diagnosed with an incurable cancer.

“I got to know him for every day of his last year of his life, and it was just so many good memories and that I’m very thankful for,” Weeks said.

Author Sheri Koones has written about the units in her book “ADUs The Perfect Housing Solution.”

“One of the really great things is the multi-generational aspect of them,” she said.

Koones said the units can serve multiple roles.

“You can use the ADU for visiting guests, you can rent it out, you can have your children live there,” she said.

She said being able to add a unit onto your property is a more affordable way to increase how much housing is available.

Some of the ADUs are separate or detached, but the Weeks’ addition is attached to the main home. The outside was made to match it, as well.

“It’s kind of a win-win situation,” Koones said. “It also will increase the value of your house. They say about 15%.”

While the state passed a law making ADUs easier to build without special permits or hearings, cities and towns are developing their own regulations often regarding size and use.

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