‘Granny Flats’ could become the new senior housing in the Big Apple
New York wants to create a few nice places for seniors to enjoy their Golden Years. In August, Gov. David Paterson signed a new law that directs the state to develop model planning and zoning guidelines for communities to create compact, mixed-use senior housing and residential accessory dwelling units, called “granny flats.”
The new law is one of several initiatives the state has implemented to improve the lives of seniors in the state, according to Paterson’s office. The “granny flats” concept would address safety concerns seniors nationwide expressed in a recent poll by Washington-based AARP. Forty percent of respondents said they do not have adequate sidewalks in their neighborhoods; 44 percent said they do not have accessible public transit; and nearly half — 47 percent — said they cannot cross the main roads in their neighborhoods safely, according to the governor’s office.
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