As older adults begin to outnumber young people in the United States in the coming decade, advocacy groups are challenging states to shift away from single-family zoning in favor of housing solutions that allow older adults to “age in place.”
By 2035, the U.S. will have more people over the age of 65 than under the age of 18, a first in the nation’s history. Recent census data suggests that the U.S. is short of aging-ready homes, with just 40% of the country’s housing considered accessible enough to meet the basic needs of older adults.
Organizations such as AARP are lobbying state by state for two housing approaches: the development of so-called middle housing such as duplexes, triplexes and townhomes, and the allowance of accessory dwelling units, often known as granny flats or in-law suites.
This year, some states overhauled the type of single-family zoning practices that advocates say have not aged well with the graying population.
Many older adults live in places where most residential lots are zoned for single-family detached homes, forbidding the construction of multifamily housing such as duplexes or condominiums. By prioritizing the construction of low-density development, such rules can disconnect older adults from their community and from crucial services such as transportation, according to the Urban Institute, a nonprofit think tank focused on social and economic policy.
As state lawmakers consider relaxing zoning rules to clear the way for more housing, advocates for older adults are taking part: lobbying legislatures, posting policy positions and speaking up at local zoning meetings.
“We don’t have housing that’s built for people of all ages,” Rodney Harrell, AARP’s vice president of family, home and community, said in an interview with Stateline.
While all populations stand to benefit from an increased supply of diverse and affordable housing, Harrell pointed out, more middle housing and a shift away from car-centric development would particularly help older adults on fixed incomes.
“A key issue is that a vast majority of our neighborhoods are exclusively single-family zoning,” he said. “That doesn’t leave a lot of housing options to meet the needs of our aging population.”
This year, Washington state overhauled single-family zoning statewide to pave the way for more middle housing — a move applauded by AARP as beneficial to the state’s older adults and their caregivers.
AARP Washington had been working with legislators and housing advocates on zoning changes for nearly a decade, said Cathy MacCaul, AARP’s Washington advocacy director.
Nationally, AARP has been pushing planning experts and local and state decisionmakers to conduct “code audits” to explore how to modernize zoning and code language.
In Vermont, a law passed this year, called the HOME Act, allows the development of duplexes in all single-family residential zones.
California, Maine and Oregon also have shifted away from single-family zoning. In 2019, Oregon became the first state to eliminate single-family zoning. Last year, California removed parking requirements for development near public transit to promote more housing construction in those areas.
And in Maine, legislators in 2022 began requiring municipalities to allow ADUs and duplexes to be built on land zoned for single-family housing.
