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San Mateo County plans to add 4,500 new Accessory Dwelling Units by 2031 to combat affordable housing shortages

San Mateo County, California – With the opening of the new ADU Resource Center on October 16, 2024, San Mateo County reached a major turning point in its continuous attempts to alleviate the housing shortages. This project seeks to hasten the construction of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) throughout San Mateo County, thus offering local governments and homeowners critical tool for the building of additional living spaces.

Built on the same grounds as a bigger main residence, ADUs—also known as granny flats or in-law units—are little houses. They have become well-known as a versatile living space able to house family members or be rented out for profit.

The center comes from a joint effort among several local governments and groups including the San Francisco Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and Home for All. Administrative support is provided by the Community Planning Collaborative (CPC), hence positioning the center as a pillar of regional housing planning initiatives.

“The ADU Resource Center is the result of community stakeholders in San Mateo County uniting to address the housing crisis,” said Joshua Abrams, principal at CPC. “It is a collaborative effort to support jurisdictions in expanding infill housing while guiding homeowners through the complex process of building an ADU.”

San Mateo County reached a major turning point in its attempts to alleviate the housing shortages with opening a new ADU Resource Center
Courtesy of ADU Resource Center of San Mateo County

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Director Anna Alekseyeva will lead the center; her skills in strategic planning and community development should help the center in reaching its lofty goals.

“I’m excited to lead the center’s efforts to support jurisdictions in increasing ADU production to smooth the ADU journey for homeowners,” said Alekseyeva. “By offering a suite of specialized ADU services to both jurisdictions and homeowners, we aim to get more ADUs built and create diverse housing opportunities in existing neighborhoods.”

California has been at the forefront of promoting ADUs as a means to increase housing supply. The state has established several rules since 2017 to simplify the permission process for these projects. The effect is clear; ADUs accounted for 20% of all new homes built in California in 2023, a notable rise from only a few years prior.

The ambitious target in San Mateo County alone is to help around 4,500 new ADUs to be created by 2031. With 403 units completed in 2023, these buildings accounted for 23% of all new homes in the county, once again underscoring their importance in serving low- and extremely low-income households.

San Mateo County reached a major turning point in its attempts to alleviate the housing shortages with opening a new ADU Resource Center
Courtesy of ADU Resource Center of San Mateo County

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Inspired by the successful Napa Sonoma ADU Center, the ADU Resource Center is part of a larger network of cooperative initiatives spanning several jurisdictions to improve ADU output. This network primarily deals with public education and simplified procedures of development.

Zachary Dahl, the community development director for the City of San Mateo, praised the center’s potential impact.

“The ADU Resource Center will be a vital hub of knowledge to empower homeowners who want to create accessory dwelling units on their properties,” said Dahl. “It’s an investment that will support increased ADU production in the city, enhance countywide collaboration on ADU code and policy best practices, and, most importantly, support homeowners who are looking to invest in their property and add critically needed housing units.”

The center provides free ADU guidebooks, an comprehensive multilingual website, detailed local law information, and step-by-step instructions among other tools and services. The ADU floorplan gallery is one of a special feature since it links homeowners with professional designers and offers creative inspiration. An ADU budget calculator will also enable future builders to project expenses depending on reasonable budgetary limits.

The ADU Resource Center is a lighthouse of proactive community planning and cooperation as San Mateo County keeps running against housing issues. Supporting the building of new ADUs not only meets urgent housing needs but also creates conditions for sustainable development and improved community resilience.

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For those interested in exploring the possibilities of ADU development or seeking more information, the ADU Resource Center invites visits to its website, where resources and updates are readily available.

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