Read Star's coverage of Tucson casita story
Tucson will now allow backyard casitasFor subscribers only: The Tucson City Council has approved the construction of casitas on residential lots across the city.
Officials paused the ability of property owners to begin building casitas to reconsider size guidelines at the Dec. 7 council meeting. No changes to the rule have been made yet.
Tucson's proposed new code allowing for guest houses to be built more easily has some problems. But with some tweaks, the proposal should fit our sparsely built city.
For Star subscribers: Some, though, fear wealthy investors looking for Airbnb-style rentals could undermine proposal aimed at increasing Tucson's affordable housing supply.
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
Tucson is considering amending its code to allow for accessory dwelling units, or casitas, to serve as living spaces. The city's code currently prohibits the structures from being dwelling units.
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Under the updated rules, casitas can be as large as 10% of their lot’s total square footage. For example, an 8,000 square foot lot could contain a casita as large as 800 square feet.
