5.2 Auxiliary Dwelling Units - Mark Jurchen

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ADUs Are Good for People and Places Communities that understand the benefits of ADUs allow homeowners to create them ADUs are an economical ADUs are community- ADUs are just the right size housing option compatible • Generally measuring between • ADUs can generate rental • ADUs offer a way to include 600 and 1,000 square feet, income to help homeowners smaller, relatively affordable ADUs work well for the one- cover mortgage payments or homes in established and two-bedroom homes simply make ends meet.The neighborhoods with minimal needed by today's smaller, income provided by an ADU visual impact and without childless households,which tenant can be especially adding to an area's sprawl. now account for nearly two important for older people on • ADUs provide a more dispersed thirds of all households in the fixed incomes. and incremental wayof adding g United States. • Since the land on which an ADU homes to a community than is built already belongs to the other options,such as ADUs are able to house homeowner,the expense to multistory apartment buildings. people of all ages build a secondary residence is • ADUs are typically managed by • ADUs offer young people for the new structure only. homeowners who live on the entry-level housing choices. • Many ADUs are created for premises. Such landlords are family members or friends to less likely to tolerate a • ADUs enable families to expand reside in for free or at a destructive tenant. beyond their primary home. discounted rate. In fact,when a ADUs are good for the • ADUs provide empty nesters loved one is in need of care or can't live alone,an ADU can be environment and others with the option of a viable alternative to a costly • ADUs require fewer resources moving into a smaller space assisted-livingfacility. while renting out their larger Y to build and maintain than full-sized homes. house or letting an adult child • Although market rate rents for and his or her family reside in it. ADUs tend to be slightly more • ADUs use significantly less than for similarly sized energy for heating and cooling. • An ADU's use can be adapted apartments,they often (Of all the ADU types, internal for different household types, represent the only affordable ones tend to have the lowest income levels,employment rental choices in single-family building and operating costs.) situations and stages of life. ■ neighborhoods,which typically S contain few or no small or Big houses are being built,small houses are needed z rental housing options at all. s z • The state of California and Do we really need YEAR 1950 2020 N some municipalities are more than three o times as much Median square footage boosting ADU5 by providing of new 983 2,261 0 grants and other incentives as living space per single-family homes z° part of affordable housing and person as we did o anti-displacement strategies to in 1950?Can we Number of people m help lower-income households afford to buy or per household 3.8 2.5 m build ADUs or reside in them at rent,heat,cool reliable rents. and care for such Square feet of living 292 904 large homes? space per person FACT:ADUs house more people per square foot of living area than single-family homes do. n c 4 AARP I The ABCs of ADUs