ADU-specific changes: two ADUs per lot allowed in “Frequent Transit Areas,” ADUs now allowed in townhouses. (Many DC rowhouses have “English basement” apartments - but note that in NC, such units would have to be built under the “commercial” building code.)
The “flag lot” provision is drawn from precedent in Durham and Atlanta (just a proposal there). The idea is that it’s tough for many homeowners (like our own @ADUsSomeday) to finance an ADU that’s entangled with their existing mortgaged house. By separating a backyard as its own lot, that ADU project has its own land equity.
The proposal is now that a backyard “Tiny House” could be sold separately - now not so tiny, at up to 1200 sq. ft. which can be a cozy 3BR. The 1200 sq ft “tiny house” is pretty generous, since Tiny Houses can be built on lots 1/2 or 2/3 as big as larger houses. It’s especially true for Cottage Courts. If you have 0.57 acre of R-4, you could do two big houses, or now five cottages.