ADU’s: Small Spaces. Big Opportunities.
The City of Rockford’s own Housing Needs Assessment is clear: to keep pace with demand, we must add between 3,200 and 9,100 new homes by 2032 – with much of that demand concentrated at price points working families can actually afford.
Yet despite that urgency, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) remain largely absent from local policy conversations — even though Rockford already has functioning examples, and ADUs are widely recognized as tools that can:
- Add housing density without disrupting neighborhoods
- Generate supplemental income for homeowners
- Create lower-cost rental options for renters
- Support multigenerational living
At PlatFORM Group, we believe ADUs represent one of the fastest, most affordable ways to chip away at our housing deficit – whether through coach houses behind bungalows, basement suites for aging parents, attic apartments for young adults or tiny homes in big backyards.
With Chicago debating citywide legalization of ADUs, Rockford should take note. If we’re serious about meeting our housing goals – and about staying competitive in talent attraction and economic development – we need many creative, scalable solutions. Perhaps it’s time to bring ADUs into the conversation at City Hall – before the affordability clock runs out and while Rockford is still surging in real estate desirability.