McKay Calls for 'Granny Pod' Regulation

Grandma's house could move from over the river and through the woods to next door—a matter of feet away.

A law allowing temporary housing structures for the elderly went on the books at the beginning of July, setting off concern from at least one Fairfax County supervisor.

N2 Care, a company based out of Salem, Virginia, sells portable modules designed for households to care for ailing family members.

The module, known as the MEDCottage, is 288 square feet and links directly to the home's electricity and water utility lines, according to the website. The unit can also monitor the inhabitant's location and vitals.

Last year the General Assembly voted to allow Virginians to set up the pods and limited local jurisdictions' ability to regulate them.

During a county committee meeting Supervisor Jeff McKay (D-Lee) asked county staff to investigate how to best implement the ordinance and what restrictions, if any, the county should put on homeowners looking to install MEDCottages.

"I'm trying to get our staff to be proactive," said McKay, who referred to the structures as "granny pods" in the past.

McKay said he is concerned with how the modules will affect neighborhoods. Suburban Fairfax County, he said, consists of homes built closely together compared to many of the more rural counties in Virginia.

Homeowners may not want to look at their neighbor's MEDCottage, McKay said.

"These things can be pretty ugly," McKay said. "They are essentially metal boxes."

With stringent regulation of storage sheds, McKay said he expected neighbors would want similar treatment for the MEDCottage. At the least, McKay said he'd like to see the same restrictions on storage sheds placed on the pods.

"You've got to have some rules of the game here," McKay said.

There should be height restrictions and a setback requirement from the property line, he said. 

The MEDCottage units are designed to be temporary housing, and McKay said there should be occupancy enforcements. The county already has a problem with overcrowding, he said.

"The way this is written," McKay said, "it's ripe for abuse."

After staff examines the legislation, it will make recommendations for the MEDCottage ordinance. From there, the county will hold a public hearing before the Board of Supervisors votes on the ordinance amendments.