North Bay Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Project
Client: Napa Valley Community Foundation and Community Foundation Sonoma County
Project: North Bay Accessory Dwelling Unit Project
Service Area: Landscape Scan, Grantmaking Initiatives
Content Area: Affordable Housing
Cassandra designed and developed the North Bay Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Project for Napa Valley Community Foundation and Community Foundation Sonoma County.
Cassandra began with research on methods to promote and accelerate development of ADUs (also called in-laws, casitas, second units, etc.), which have the potential to increase the housing supply more rapidly and at a lower cost than larger multi-family developments. The project is a collaboration with government, nonprofits, and the private sector across the five key components of ADU production:
Facilitating homeowner education and outreach
Making local government permitting processes for ADUs as streamlined, simple, and affordable as possible
Helping homeowners navigate the design and building process, including modular, panelized, or on-site construction
Helping homeowners lease and manage units, including development of partnerships with nonprofit and government for more affordable rentals (home sharing, Section 8)
Creating new financial products to help lower-income homeowners to build ADUs and/or to incentivize creation of low-income rent
Work on the first two components are underway with local jurisdictions and Baird & Driskell Community Planning, and Cassandra is continuing to work with local and regional partners to develop the next set of opportunities. As a recent ADU owner herself, Cassandra is particularly excited about their potential as one of the ways to increase housing and build community.