New ADU Laws: Helping Homeowners and Cities Achieve Change

On the heels of Governor Newsom’s signing of a package of Bay Area Council-backed accessory dwelling unit (ADU) bills into law last week, we convened cities across the region eager to bring this housing solution to scale. The ADU revolution, which was unleashed by legislation the Bay Area Council sponsored in 2016 to address California’s massive housing shortage, will grow even more forceful with these new laws bolstering ADU production and eliminating onerous fees and requirements impeding their development.

The second in a series of convenings aimed at providing a platform to share best-practices and support cities to update their planning codes and policies into compliance with the new state ADU laws. The Council hosted city and planning department staff from around the region – including counties of Marin, San Mateo, San Francisco and Cities of Napa, Santa Cruz, Redwood City, Oakland, San Jose, Concord and others – to discuss their respective and unique efforts to deliver progressive ADU policies, conduct public outreach and education, and other programs and services to help homeowners build their own second unit. If you work for or know of a city or county that wants to advance ADUs in their community, reach out to us>>

The new ADU laws and what homeowners need to know about the progressive changes were also captured recently in a webinar hosted by Casita Coalition member Maxable featuring Bay Area Council housing policy director Xiomara Cisneros. Watch the webinar>>