Accessory Dwelling Units and the Housing Crisis Public Comment from Adam MorrisseyAimee Brunckhorst
From: Adam M <adam.I.morrissey@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, July 5, 2021 1:19 PM
To: Kalispell City Council
Subject: EXTERNAL Accessory Dwelling Units and the Housing Crisis
Dear City Council,
I was overjoyed at the news of Accessory Dwelling Units to help ease the housing crisis that so many in our
community are struggling with. I appreciated the limit in square footage as well as the requirement for parking
spaces. And I am deeply grateful that they would not be allowed to be used for short-term/Air BnB.
I was then disappointed to see the map and how limited the proposal is for eligible properties. I strongly
encourage that this be opened up to the entire city rather than select areas/neighborhoods. I have a home that
would be a great candidate for this with ample parking, but this property, along with so much other residential
real estate, is not up for consideration in the current plan.
During the pandemic a rental of mine became available. I had over 30 applications. People were begging and
desperate. Several offered a full year of payment in advance. We had one gal in tears in our backyard during
the showing. We had others offer free labor for house projects on top of rent, along with other types of free
work trades just to let them live there. At the time I wished I had a dozen more homes to help all these
desperate folks.
When we chose someone this time, we decided to pick someone who would likely have a terrible time finding
another place (that we also thought would care for our home). We chose a single mom with two kids that is a
tattoo artist. We are very fortunate that she has treated the house wonderfully. Since she has moved in she
became very anxious on two separate occasions that we were going to sell the home out from under her
because the market is so high right now. Both times I had to be extremely persuasive that she and her boys
have nothing to worry about. I have considered reaching out to her to see if she would allow another small
family to live with her family since the home is a 4 bedroom and there are so many people struggling right
now.
Yesterday, when I took my kids to the park I saw a couple with three young kids in the park. One of them was
the same age as my youngest son, 5, and they played together. I discovered they were living out of their two
vehicles. They were a sober, clean, well -dressed family, with the father running all over the park playing with
his kids.
As a landlord, I pay close attention to local real estate social media to keep a bead on things. I have seen
dozens upon dozens of desperate housing requests by hard-working and responsible people. Our community
needs as many opportunities as possible to help solve this crisis. I hope the council can see that this limit on
eligible property is an unnecessary restriction in a time of urgency.
Again, thank you for even considering the accessory dwelling units in the first place and the other reasonable
and appropriate restrictions. And thank you for taking the time to read this.
God Bless,
Adam Morrissey