Omaha Zoning Changes Boost Affordable Housing Choices

Omaha residents will have more affordable housing options to choose from following recent zoning changes that make it easier to build accessory dwelling units.

The Omaha City Council in March unanimously voted to allow the construction of ADUs citywide. An ADU is a small residence, such as a backyard cottage or above-garage apartment, built on the same property as an existing single-family home.

The zoning ordinance revisions—which AARP Nebraska advocated for—allow for the construction of ADUs in higher-density areas, with City of Omaha Planning Department approval. Building in lower-density neighborhoods requires a more extensive approval process, involving public input and approval by the planning board.

Urging local leaders to allow more ADUs is one way AARP Nebraska is working to address a housing shortage and promote more affordable options that allow older residents to remain in their communities as they age.

“In Omaha, like many areas of the country, there’s not a lot of options between the large single-family home where people raise their kids and assisted living,” says Todd Stubbendieck, AARP Nebraska state director.

AARP is pushing for legislation at the state level that would mandate ADU-friendly zoning in all Nebraska municipalities.

AARP Nebraska also held an ADU design contest in 2023. The winning design, led by architect Daniel Conaway of Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture, has 588 square feet of living space with an open kitchen and living room, one bedroom and a fully accessible bathroom. It also features a zero-step entry.

Conaway says he hopes to build a display unit to showcase, so that “people can really see and feel what it’s like.”

Learn more at aarp.org/adu.

—David Lewellen