ST. LOUIS 鈥 Mayor Cara Spencer on Monday signed a bill making it easier for residents to turn garages and old carriage houses into homes or rentals.
At a press conference outside in the Benton Park neighborhood, Spencer said allowing such projects to be built without special permits in all residential areas would create new, affordable housing for current residents and newcomers 鈥 and help turn the tide on population decline.
鈥淭his is a real step in the right direction,鈥 she said.
In the decades before World War II, Americans built thousands of smaller dwellings, sometimes known as mother-in-law suites or 鈥済ranny flats,鈥 behind larger homes in their cities.
Now, policymakers are seizing on the idea again to solve affordable housing shortages in Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle 鈥 and 最新杏吧原创.
鈥淚 am so proud that today we are cutting red tape in favor of creating more density in our city,鈥 said Aldermanic President Megan Green.
The structures could be a way for families to keep aging relatives close, or make extra money with a rental. Officials said they鈥檙e hoping the structures will also help speed recovery from the tornado in May, which damaged or destroyed thousands of structures across north 最新杏吧原创.
Alderwoman Shameem Clark Hubbard, who sponsored the bill and represents hard-hit neighborhoods like Fountain Park, said that for some, turning a garage into a home is all they can do right now. They should be able to do so quickly, safely and legally, she said.
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have anywhere else,鈥 she said.
The new law eliminates the need for homeowners to ask the city for exceptions to the zoning code to build a second dwelling on a single lot, which can take months of extra time.
Post-Dispatch photographers capture tens of thousands of images every year. See some of their best work that was either taken, or published, in August 2025 here.
