The question of how to handle accessory dwelling units (ADUs) has been dominating Long Island’s housing discourse recently. This debate did not come out of nowhere. A 1988 New York Times article recently discovered in the Regional Plan Association archives details a dispute between the Long Island Board of Realtors, who called for legalizing ADUs, and the local governments of certain Long Island towns, who opposed legalization.

In 1988 Long Island was adding jobs faster than new housing according to the Times, who wrote that ​“a house is beyond the means of most people who don’t already own one.” Regional Plan Association was advocating for the legalization of ADUs as one means to close this gap. Then-Senior Vice President William Shore told the Times that he thought legalization was inevitable, because most town governments ​“don’t want to raise a fuss and they certainly don’t want to stop it, because a lot of their constituents are doing it.” Unfortunately, Bill Shore was wrong as evidenced by the concerns raised by many local officials on Long Island earlier this year.

Then and now, the safety of tenants within these unlicensed apartments has been central to the debate. The Times reported that the illegal and unregulated nature of ADUs meant that they were often unsafe, pointing to a 1985 fire in Englewood, New Jersey in which ​“seven people, including the tenants of an illegal attic apartment, died.” ADU safety – and the current lack thereof – is one point of focus within RPA’s most recent report, Preventing Another Ida, which recommends legalizing and supporting ADUs to minimize the loss of life and property damage from extreme rainfall flooding.

Earlier this year, RPA produced a series of videos with Make the Road New York which highlighted the lived experiences of people struggling with housing insecurity and living within ADUs, including two residents impacted during Hurricane Ida. The videos focused on three New Yorkers struggling to stay above water, allowing them to explain the impact that legal ADUs could have on their lives, as well as those in similar situations.

Despite the setbacks earlier this year, Regional Plan Association will continue to advocate for legalizing and supporting ADUs on Long Island and throughout the region.