Intro

It’s just after Halloween, and as we stand on guard against skeletons, ghosts, and villains, the fact that we’re in the middle of election season seems to ramp up the fears even more.

Now that it’s been announced, Cobb County’s proposal to add Accessory Dwelling Units to the County Code is receiving a backlash filled with fear mongering, lies, and misrepresentations.

In this article, we’re going to describe what an Accessory Dwelling Unit is, go into the details about the County’s proposal, our review of the county’s proposal, and we’ll debunk some of the misplaced fears being spread like wildfire.

What is an Accessory Dwelling Unit?

According to the American Planning Association, an Accessory Dwelling Unit (or ADU) is “a smaller, independent residential dwelling unit located on the same lot as a stand-alone (i.e., detached) single-family home.” 

Here are some other quick facts about them:

  • Sometimes called “backyard cottages, accessory apartments, secondary suites, and granny flats”
  • Can be converted portions of existing homes (basements or garages), additions to new or existing homes, or stand-alone structures.
  • Kennesaw is currently reviewing an ADU proposal about adding ADUs to their city code as well!

So what’s really being proposed?

To look at the proposed amendment, you have to go to Chapter 134 of the County Code. Here’s a summary of every change being proposed:

  • A definition of Accessory Dwelling Unit is being added in section 134-1 (Definitions)


  • In section 134-37 (Special Land Use Permit), a new section for ADUs is being added in part 35.

  • The following stipulation is removed for all zoning codes between Section 134-193 and 134-199, which includes the following zoning codes:
    • Sec 134-193 (R-80 Single Family Residential District)
    • Sec 134-194 (RR Rural Residential District)
    • Sec 134-195 (R-40 Single-Family Residential District)
    • Sec 134-196 (R-30 Single-Family Residential District)
    • Sec 134-197 (R-20 Single-Family Residential District)
    • Sec 134-198 (R-15 Single-Family Residential District)
    • Sec 134-199 (R-12 Single-Family Residential District)

So let’s recap what these proposed changes actually do. First, it creates a definition of Accessory Dwelling Unit in the county code. Next, it adds a lot of stipulations including not allowing it to be 850 square feet, a required parking space, a residency requirement, a prohibition on short-term rentals, and finally the ADU must not be in conflict with any covenants, conditions, deed restrictions, or bylaws. Lastly, the requirement that an accessory building that can be lived in must be attached to the principal structure is removed allowing a single standalone ADU to be built.

Not only is it very prohibitive with what can be built, but building an ADU requires Board of Commissioners approval through the arduous Special Land Use Permit process. You can see the section about Special Land Use Permits here and view the application here.

A Better Cobb’s position on the amendment

It will come as no surprise, but we strongly support ADUs as an opportunity to address the ever-increasing housing shortage our community continues to face. We are generally a pro-housing organization which believes that we need to use multiple tools and resources to address the housing needs of our community. 

ADUs have many benefits to the individual homeowner, including:

  • Building “granny suites” that allow an aging population to live comfortable with their family.
  • A revenue opportunity for short-term or long-term rentals.
  • Increase in land value and home equity.

We support a definition of ADUs being added to the county code but we suggest the following changes be made to empower individual landowners to fully utilize their property:

  • ADUs should be defined as a build-by-right allowance and not a Special Land Use Permit. 
  • Removal of required, dedicated off-street parking space.
  • Allow short-term rentals with registration or license.

Without the above changes, the benefits to adding an ADU for an individual homeowner are limited.

I’ve heard [insert some scary claim about ADUs]. Is that true?

Even though the current proposal is very restrictive with limited benefits, opposition is out in full force against ADUs. 

Just look at the scary messaging being put out there by opponents of the measure. You have the Cobb Tax Revolt sending out emails, the Cobb Voice comparing the ADU proposal to the demagorgon in Stranger Things, and the local newspaper running with the headline “Cupid Proposal Would Allow Housing Density Increase”. Even the School Board Chair, Randy Scamihorn, used school resources to spread fear and misinformation about the ADU proposal. 

Going back to the MDJ article, it doesn’t take 2 brain cells to realize that housing density has increased over the past few decades as Cobb County grew in population, and the density will continue to increase as the county continues to thrive and grow. That’s basic math.

But that’s where we are as a county today. With lies and misinformation spread from our local newspaper and even the School Board Chair.

I’m going to start with Board Chair Randy Scamihorn’s ridiculous position that ADUs will harm schools because of “transient students.” As someone who is in charge of the education of ALL students in his district, it’s sad to see him use his own students as a political argument. Instead of being focused on ensuring every student has a safe and productive learning environment, he uses school resources to spread misinformation. If you remember, he did the same exact thing when arguing against transit expansion. Like giving families more housing and transportation options is a bad thing…

Let’s break down each of the ridiculous fears one-by-one:

  • FEAR: “Risk to Homeowners and Community Stability (The proposal introduces Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) on all residential lots, increasing density and impacting property values.)”

    FACT: There are many things that pose a risk to homeowners and community stability. Allowing homeowners to build a small ADU on their own property is not one of those. The impact on property values would only be positive as people now have the option to build ADUs on their homestead.
  • FEAR: “Timing and Transparency Concerns (Change will not be discussed until after the November election, raising concerns about transparency and fairness)”

    FACT: “This is nonsense. This is being announced DURING election season. I guess that all county business must stop during election season or else opponents will use this lame excuse.”
  • FEAR: “Allows small homes (up to 850 sq. ft.) to be built in addition to existing homes, with multiple unrelated tenants and vehicles.”

    FACT: Let’s be honest, you’re not going to see a lot of “unrelated tenants” living together in an 850 sq. ft. house. Also, did I mention that a Special Land Use Permit is required for anyone to build an ADU on their property? Oh yeah, so that means it can be revoked at any time if the landowner doesn’t follow zoning requirements and stipulations.
  • FEAR: “Homeowner associations and neighborhood covenants cannot block ADUs unless they explicitly prohibit them.”

    FACT: If you live in a neighborhood with an HOA, you already know that they control and restrict most things on your property. What color you paint your house, where you store your garbage, and definitely any additions or new structures built on your property. The ADU code explicitly requires that new structures adhere to all covenants and bylaws.

  • FEAR: “School Overcrowding and Chaos (A sudden increase in population may overwhelm local schools, adding untracked students and creating instability)”

    FACT: It’s highly unlikely there will be a sudden increase in population from this proposal, as other examples of ADUs being allowed have resulted in a very slow build-out of new ADU housing. Also, it’s highly unlikely that many children will be the residents of ADUs, as Chair Scamihorn even said “Children and families won’t live in a shipping container for long” (FYI, ADUs that are built must conform to existing building standards. In other words, they won’t be shipping containers…that’s just another fear mongering lie by the School Board Chair)
  • FEAR: “Environmental Impact (Increased construction threatens wildlife habitats and could worsen flooding issues)”

    FACT: These “small homes” would take up less of a footprint than single-family homes on larger lots. If the writer of these concerns actually cared about the environment, they would be protesting every new neighborhood filled with low density single-family homes.
  • FEAR: “Investor Opportunity at the Cost of Community Character (Large investors may replace older homes with multiple rental units, making both ownership and renting more expensive. Enforcement to prevent this is not practical.)”

    FACT: There is a residency requirement for all ADUs, requiring the homeowner to live on property in either the primary dwelling or ADU. This makes it impossible for large investors to benefit from this code change.

  • FEAR: “ADUs will bring transient students and have an impact on our schools”

    FACT: Wow. Again, the fact that the School Board Chair is using his own students that he is responsible for as a political argument is just sad. The number one driver of transiency is the rising costs of living that families face. Should we not provide housing supply that helps lower the living costs and allow families to prosper in our communities? (Sadly, I think the Board Chair and others would rather these children not be in our community…anything to raise our precious test scores!)

I’m sure there are more claims out there, so if you see any that we missed, let us know. But hopefully by now you can tell how all the fears about ADUs are just a continuation of the same people being scared of change and progress.

Here’s a video of some of them making public comment at the last Board of Commissioners meeting.

Conclusion: ADUs are a “small scale” opportunity for Cobb County to address some of its biggest challenges

ADUs would allow Cobb County to address some of the biggest challenges our community faces:

  • Cost of housing is making it very difficult for next generation and working class families to afford to live here
  • An aging population is putting a greater strain on our transportation and housing infrastructure
  • We are running out of space to continue new low-density development
  • Cobb County is expected to grow by another 250,000 people in the next couple of decades.

As our community continues to grow, we need to build housing for everyone. ADUs are a proven way for us to build the necessary housing supply and allow current homeowners to benefit from its growth. This is a very limited, restrictive ADU proposal and it’s important that we overcome the fears and lies being spread in the community and build a county that welcomes everyone for generations to come.

OK, You’ve convinced me. ADUs are great. How do we make it happen?

Well there 3 things you can do:

  1. Attend one of the public hearings in November and make public comment in support of ADUs
    -Tuesday, November 12th @ 9AM
    -Thursday, November 21 @ 7PM 
  2. Email your commissioners (if you need help with who your commissioner is, email abettercobb@gmail.com)
    Chair: Lisa Cupid lisa.cupid@cobbcounty.org
    District 1 (NW Cobb): Keli Gambrill keli.gambrill@cobbcounty.org
    District 2 (East Cobb): Jerica Richardson jerica.richardson@cobbcounty.org
    District 3 (East Cobb): Joann Birrell joann.birrell@cobbcounty.org
    District 4 (South Cobb): Monique Sheffield monique.sheffield@cobbcounty.org
  3. Tell your friends about this item on the agenda and share the link to this article