"The Reach," an ADU design by Aligned Architecture (photo by Mike Dean)
I appreciate
receiving AIA Oregon’s Thursdays @ Three emailed newsletter each week,
as it often includes news of events or programs I otherwise would not be aware
of. Last Thursday’s edition was no exception as it brought to my attention the
City of Eugene’s Pre-Approved Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Program.
The City intends its
ADU program to “significantly and thoughtfully reduce barriers to housing by
fast-tracking the permitting process.” It does this by supplying free or
low-cost ADU plans developed by local architects. Currently, there are three
pre-approved plans in the City’s pre-approved ADU library. The City has already reviewed these designs for compliance
with the building code, so owners/builders save time and money. The
pre-approved designs are:
Eugene officials are
seeking more, calling on additional entries from other designers. The goal is
to provide a wide variety of plan types and styles, suitable for property
owners of varying means and needs.
An ADU is a
secondary housing unit located on a single-family residential lot. Some ADUs
are detached, and variously referred to as backyard cottages, granny flats, or laneway
houses. The City of Eugene ADU Program facilitates the construction of these
detached types. Some ADUs are conversions of existing garages or workshops. Additions
to the primary residence on the lot or conversions of basements or other parts
of the house are still other ADU types. What all ADUs have in common is that they
are accessory to and significantly smaller than the average house in the U.S.
The City of Eugene
is just one of many municipalities across North America that have or are in the
process of revising their development regulations to encourage the addition of
ADUs within established residential neighborhoods (in Eugene’s case, the impetus
is also a need to comply with State of Oregon mandates intended to make the
path toward the development of ADUs less onerous).
ADUs make sense because
most of our legacy housing stock consists of homes that do not reflect current
demographics. 62 percent of U.S. households today are comprised of 1-2 persons;
only 38 percent of residences house the traditional nuclear family of parents
with multiple children. Paradoxically, the average number of people in American
households has declined even as the median size of a new home has doubled since
the 1970s. We need housing types that reflect the full diversity of our community:
people of all ages and abilities, renters, homeowners, families, childless couples,
and singles. The housing needs of such a varied population warrant the introduction
of a correspondingly diverse range of housing options. ADUs can be one of those
options.
ADUs also provide
housing with a small environmental footprint when compared with traditional
single-family detached homes. If introduced within established neighborhoods, ADUs
eliminate the demand for expanding infrastructure to the fringes of the developed
metropolitan area.
ADUs are not without
their critics or shortcomings. New ADU construction is not inexpensive, and too
often property owners construct them as short-term rentals (e.g. Airbnb) rather
than as affordable housing alternatives. On balance though, easing the path
toward increasing the stock of ADUs is desirable because fostering housing
innovation, as opposed to stifling it, is necessary if we are to have any hope of addressing
the affordability crisis.
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