With an eye toward enforcement, the St. Paul City Council amended a proposal to allow homeowners across the city to convert attics, garages and carriage houses into accessory dwelling units, or “mother-in-law apartments” and “granny flats.”

The council will vote on the proposal on Oct. 17.

The proposed accessory dwelling unit ordinance has drawn widespread support from the city’s neighborhood district councils — a rarity for any issue — with the notable exception of the Summit Hill Association, which repeatedly contacted city council members to raise objections.

In Minneapolis, homeowners have built dozens of such structures. But St. Paul — which agreed in late 2016 to allow accessory dwelling units within walking distance of the Green Line — had documented a single ADU construction as of a May 15 staff report.

Critics have worried that landlords eager to cash in will use the opportunity to effectively convert single-family homes into duplexes and short-term rentals such as Airbnb.

The accessory dwelling unit, or “ADU,” ordinance includes restrictions intended to avoid both outcomes, as well as rules around minimum lot sizes. The structures require no additional parking. Related Articles Ford Foundation grants $2.5 million to St. Paul’s Penumbra Theatre, a record for the Black arts organization

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City Council Member Chris Tolbert on Wednesday introduced an amendment that clarifies that the property must be owner-occupied and that the owner must clearly identify which building is the primary residence and which is the accessory unit. The amendment received the support of the seven-member council.

Tolbert said he worked with Council Members Jane Prince and Dan Bostrom, as well as the Department of Safety and Inspections and the city’s department of Planning and Economic Development to create a regulatory and enforcement structure.

The ordinance is still lacking in those areas, he said, but the mayor’s administration is studying how a citation process would work for ADUs and other housing-related issues. Related Articles Ford Foundation grants $2.5 million to St. Paul’s Penumbra Theatre, a record for the Black arts organization

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“I would just further suggest that DSI and the administration ensures that an administrative citation process is implemented sooner rather than later,” Tolbert said. “My understanding is it should be ready to go in the next year or so. … 99 percent of people who use this will be good users … but (for those who aren’t), we should have the ability to shut those people down.”

Prince agreed, noting that the ADU plan evolved from allowing accessory dwellings in five neighborhoods to a citywide proposal as it progressed through the city’s Planning Commission, with little input from city housing inspectors.

“It became clear to us in looking into this that DSI had not gotten involved, through no fault of their own,” Prince said. “The zoning piece was moving through, so I do feel it’s really light on the enforcement side.”