To the Editor,
Rachel Pastan’s editorial about the need for affordable small residences in Swarthmore struck a very responsive chord in me. The borough’s 2015 Aging-In-Place Task Force Report outlines a number of housing, planning, and zoning recommendations that are designed to increase the number of smaller and more affordable housing units in Swarthmore. To further the goal of accommodating intergenerational families and retaining our aging residents, the report recommended that the borough consider changing its regulations to allow a number of new, more flexible, housing options. These included so-called “accessory dwelling units,” elder cottages, mixed-use buildings, shared houses, and temporary “granny pods.”
After the 2015 report was published, the borough’s council, planning commission, and manager and the Swarthmore Senior Citizens Association began working together diligently toward implementation of these recommendations. Ordinances were passed authorizing family/caregiver suites (in 2018) and senior cooperative housing (in 2019). However — because the new ordinances represented a new zoning direction for Swarthmore — anyone wanting to make use of them must adhere to many restrictions and requirements and submit to a complex approval process.
Swarthmore’s existing housing stock and zoning, as well as the lack of accessibility and affordability, will continue to present challenges. But I am convinced that, given the enormous talent of my fellow Swarthmoreans, and the great desire of our residents to create needed intergenerational and small-housing options, we will continue to liberalize the zoning regulations and streamline the approval process so that we can more easily downsize in place.
Carol Menke
Swarthmore
