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From Maine to Seattle, communities across the U.S. are creating incentives to develop and preserve cottages to enhance the tax base without adding children to the local school system. Cottages are also a great way to keep empty-nesters, seniors and other RCSD non-users living in their hometown. Rye has hundreds of cottages that contribute to the tax base without adding children to the RCSD.

Cities like Seattle have drafted a cottage housing ordinance with the following benefits:

• makes cottages equal or better business proposition than single family homes
• reduces cars and traffic
• maintains population density equivalent to single family homes
• allows empty-nesters, seniors and the newly-single a way to give up their large house but stay in the neighborhood
• enhances tax base without increasing school population