Page 44 - Green Builder Magazine May-June 2019 Issue

ADU Permits Issued in Portland, Oregon from 2000–-2016 qualied ADU that meets the minimum
qualications outlined in the program.
But it’s Vancouver that is considered
by many to be the template of how
to do it right when it comes to ADU
regulation. According to Strong Towns
Content Manager Daniel Herriges, the
units were allowed to some degree
prior to 2009. But that year, ADUs
became legal citywide. That meant
65,000 lots where the micro-homes
could be built, with virtually no red
CREDIT: BUILDINGANADU.COM required, no public hearing or approval
tape. “No additional parking was
by neighbors, and no expensive or
cumbersome design requirements,”

ADU on just about any residential lot
On the rise. Since the start of the decade, ADUs have zoomed in popularity in forward-thinking cities such as Herriges notes. “You can build an
Portland, Ore., thanks to a series of citywide reforms. in Vancouver, behind just about any
style of house.”
an ADU by thousands of dollars. It also loosened design and size As a result, ADUs—commonly referred to as “laneway houses” in
requirements. Canada—have proved “spectacularly” popular in Vancouver, according
A report by the University of Nebraska, “Use of Accessory Dwelling to Herriges. According to the Sightline Institute, a Seattle-based
Units as a Housing Strategy,” identies numerous other cities where nonprot research group, Vancouver is now adding more than 1,000
legal reform meant added interest in ADUs. of these units every year, and the total share of
In 2017, California passed legislation that did single-family houses with legal ADUs is up by
not address owner-occupancy, but did redene To Learn More 35 percent from a decade earlier, to about 2,600
the specs of an ADU, making it easier to build homes. Another 4,200 permits have been issued
one. Numerous cities beneted immediately. More information for units known as secondary suites—an ADU in
For example, Los Angeles, which already lacked a basement or other “carved out” part of a home.
owner-occupancy, saw the number of permits about Accessory Part of the increase has also been attributed
rise from 142 to 2,000 in one year. Santa Cruz, to the city’s grid-like layout and deeper, wider
considered an ADU pioneer but also very strict Dwelling Units can be residential lots, which are conducive to ADU
in its building requirements, saw construction found at these sites: construction, according to the Urban Land
triple from 100 to 400 units, partly from the new Institute.
legislation, and from ongoing and increasingly BUILDING AN ADU: A site with design
popular city-wide e‰orts such as zoning reforms, tips, financial overviews, homebuilder THE NEXT BIG THING?
pre-approved designs, a how-to manual for and homeowner case studies, and more. Peterson says that no one will argue that a lot of
homeowners, and a low-interest loan program. progress has been made in recent years toward
Elsewhere, Seattle’s reforms, which included MAXABLE: Includes an overview of dening what an ADU is and how it can be built.
changes in owner occupancy and parking ADU regulations throughout California. But despite the ongoing changes in attitude on
requirements, as well as greater public STRONG TOWNS: This international display in some cities, there’s a long way to go
discussion, pushed its ADU annual permit total group’s site includes articles, before an ADU is as desirable—and hassle free,
from less than 10 in 2012 to more than 200 in construction wise—as a two-car garage.
2016. In Austin, a series of building reforms podcasts and video on the challenges “Because ADUs are challenging to create,
over a decade, including programs aimed at low- of building ADUs and tiny homes. small changes to the rules are likely to have
and moderate-income households, pushed ADU SIGHTLINE INSTITUTE: A nonprofit even smaller e‰ects on the number of ADUs
permits issued from 32 in 2007 to 387 in 2017. research firm with significant resources actually constructed,” Peterson notes.œ“If ADUs
And Barnstable, Mass. made it easier to bring dedicated to ADU development. are actually meant to contribute to the quantity
existing, non-permitted units into compliance of housing in an urban area, and not just be
with its Amnesty Program, which o‰ers fee AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION: token examples of a good idea, then barriers—
waivers for the inspection and monitoring of This agency’s site includes research both governmental rules and nongovernmental
units. The city also o‰ers nancial incentives, reports, legislative update and challenges—will have to be taken down
such as block grants, to reimburse eligible informative articles that define the ADU. wholesale. That’s probably what it will take to
costs associated with the rehabilitation of a nally, really make ADUs the next big thing.” GB

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