The Carrboro Board of Aldermen is considering approving zoning protections for accessory dwelling units, known as Granny Pods, in single-family neighborhoods. The units could be used to accommodate on-site care for aging seniors, offering the dual function of proximity and privacy for seniors, families and caregivers, said Kenneth Dupin, founder and CEO of MEDCottage.
Dupin pioneered the Granny Pods with MEDCottage, a Virginia-based company that develops and installs the units as an affordable alternative to assisted living and nursing homes.
“Really and truly, it allows the family to preserve wealth because it’s defined — in other words, you lease it or you purchase it and it doesn’t consume wealth the same way that a nursing home or assisted living would,” Dupin said.
Affordable housing is currently an issue in Carrboro as town officials strive to find ways to alleviate high costs of living.
“One way to look at it, in terms of accessory dwellings, is a way to meet affordability issues,” said Alderwoman Randee Haven-O’Donnell.
Alderwoman Bethany Chaney said that while she believes the Granny Pods could offer affordable housing options for seniors, she doesn’t think it will be the end-all be-all of affordability, which she described as a moving target.
Despite the units’ affordability, in the past five years, MEDCottage has only been able to place five of them, even though the company has received thousands of inquiries.
“It has so much to do with the cultural, municipal resistance to the idea of it being placed on someone’s property — there’s been resistance to this idea of a shack in the backyard that later on can be used for college kids or bad kids,” Dupin said.
