California Homeowners: Please Convert Garages into Apartments

In the same way, government agencies could subsidize garage conversions as an alternative to building new affordable housing units, which cost an average of $372,000 per unit in California. Many homeowners put up fierce resistance to affordable housing projects nearby, but those same neighbors may not even notice a garage conversion that swaps cars for people and leaves the home’s exterior unchanged. Other homeowners might not realize it, but they can benefit from more garage conversions, too: Those apartment residents will provide more eyes on the street, enhancing security for the whole neighborhood, and homeowners can feel safer while they are away if someone is living in the former garage.

Source: www.citylab.com