ADUs Help Solve Housing and Climate Crises

The Bay Area’s housing shortage and affordability crisis are pushing more and more workers farther and farther from jobs and transit centers in search of lower rents and home prices, leading to longer commutes and more tailpipe emissions. Increasing the supply of affordable housing in the Bay Area’s urban core is among the Bay Area Council’s leading priorities and a driving force behind our work to make building accessory dwelling units (ADUs), aka granny or in-law units, easier, faster and less expensive. In addition to helping reduce long commutes, ADUs themselves have a much smaller carbon footprint, as a study from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality found. The Council sponsored legislation in 2016 that has spawned a statewide rush to build ADUs, and a handful of bills we supported this year that will further ease local restrictions on ADUs are now awaiting Gov. Newsom’s signature. To engage in our ADU work, please contact Policy Director Xiomara Cisneros.