The Alley Flats Initiative was originally conceived by students from the University of Texas School of Architecture. At the time, students were researching different ways to improve the Austin area and make housing more affordable, all while using environmentally friendly materials in building as well.
It did not take long for this idea to take off and several other groups came together to help make the idea into a reality. While there is still a lot of work to go, this initiative has already seen some great strides in creating housing options that were never used in the past.
How Are These Alley Flats Used?
The homeowner will be able to choose how they would like to utilize the alley flat when they create it. Some will create one and rent it out to make additional income from the extra space on their land. Others will use it for an aging parent or another family member to move in, while giving them some of their own space away from the home. These can also make amazing locations for a small home-based business, away from the noise of the home, while not having to rent out another space.
These are just a few of the options that you can utilize when you decide to make an alley flat. And the Alley Flat Initiative helps to encourage the growth of these types of structures to handle the rising costs of housing in the area. When homeowners choose to rent out these affordable units to others, it is often less expensive than that tenant having to go to an apartment building on their own, or for the family to pay for an aging parent to go into assisted living. It helps to solve the problem of rising costs, while saving the homeowner money as well
The Design of the Alley Flats
With the help of the Alley Flat Initiatives, the designs of these structures are meant to be ecologically sound and environmentally sustainable, making them good for the environment and a safe place to live. Since they are often small to fit on the current lot, they will leave behind a small footprint compared to some of the other structures homeowners can consider. And the design has to take into account the area they are built in. Many are designed to blend in with their existing neighborhood.
One thing that the Alley Flats Initiative is working on is to create these in a way to make affordable housing that is exceptional, while increasing density in a certain area. And all of this is done without needing to make any changes in the zoning regulations already placed in the Austin area. While you may need a permit to build the structure on the property, most of them are designed with modern zoning laws in mind, so this doesn’t cause a lot of problems for the homeowner either.