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City of Lexington Division of Aging and Disability Services (2018) Print
2018 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Housing
└ Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
└ Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
An anticipated change in Lexington's zoning laws to permit accessory dwelling units inspired the creation of a Homeowner's Guide to Accessory Dwelling Units. To build interest in ADUs and provide examples for the publication, the University of Kentucky School of Design hosted a design competition for students and alumni. Cash prizes were awarded to the first, second and third place winners from each group. The ADU manual that came out of the grant -- a tangible document that people can have in their hands to understand what we're talking about -- was crucial to helping us convey the message we needed in order to bring about change, said Chris Woodall, manager of long-range planning for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.
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Orlando, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
Description: The project will raise awareness of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and make the permit process more user-friendly for intergenerational households that want to build an ADU for older family members.
Conway, NH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
Description: In 2017, the New Hampshire legislature legalized the construction of accessory dwelling units throughout the state. To promote this age-friendly housing option, the Mount Washington Valley Housing Coalition created information about the benefits of ADUs. This included print resources, videos and in-person presentations, which they distributed throughout the 10 towns encompassing the Mount Washington Valley. What was most gratifying were the responses from everyone who heard the multiple benefits of ADUs, realized their own properties could qualify, saw the possibilities for elderly parents, learned that the old regulations no longer applied and felt empowered to talk to their own planning board members to advocate for flexible and permissive interpretations of the law, a representative of the coalition said. Since launching the initiative, the coalition has worked to educate real estate agents about ADUs. The organization has since added a town-by-town guide to local ADU ordinances.
Bath, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
Description: To inform residents about the benefits of accessory dwelling units, the local age-friendly initiative launched an educational campaign. ADUs consist of a second housing unit -- including self-contained apartments, cottages or small houses -- constructed on a property alongside a preexisting single-family home. Organizers produced a multimedia package, including an ADU toolkit, video content, a website and social media posts.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Lexington, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: To give residents a comfortable space to hold a conversation, the Lexington Senior Center installed new accessible benches and raised planters in Idle Hour Park. Guided by a physical therapy student's research, which showed many people are uncomfortable twisting to converse with someone seated beside them, the benches sit in a U shape. This placement allows people to choose whether to sit next to or across from one another. Each seating area also includes extra space for a wheelchair user to join in.
Lexington, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Developing projects based on residents' priorities
Description: To strengthen relations between grandparents and grandchildren, this project staged events at which attendees could plant trees and flower bulbs or buildfree mini libraries(or both) in locations across Kentucky.
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