CONCORD
The city of Concord has officially introduced its preapproved Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) program to help people save time and money during the design, planning and permitting process of building an ADU.
Thanks to a grant from the California Department of Housing and Community Development, Concord was able to create six building code-compliant, construction-level drawings, which are now available to the public at no cost. Sometimes called “granny units” or “in-law units,” ADUs are residential units located on the same lot as an existing or proposed single-unit or multifamily principal dwelling and provide complete independent living facilities for one or more people.
Concord’s six designs include studios, one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms ranging in size from about 200 to 900 square feet, and each floor plan can accommodate different layouts. The designs also have multiple architectural styles commonly found in Concord, such as bungalow/craftsman, Spanish-inspired, postwar suburban rancher and modern.
“This is a huge benefit to our community,” said Concord Mayor Laura Hoffmeister. “Providing these free ADU plans will assist the city in meeting the identified goals and policies contained within our adopted Housing Element by making it easier, quicker and less expensive for our residents to add these units to their property.”
People who use the preapproved plans will not incur the cost of hiring a design professional to prepare drawings and will significantly reduce the fees associated with reviewing the plans before obtaining a building permit.
The plans also significantly reduce the time needed to get a building permit. Applications for custom ADUs typically require multiple rounds of plan review and can take weeks before permits are issued. With the new preapproved plans, complete applications can be approved within as few as five days.
More information and links to floor plans/elevations, site plan templates and full drawing sets are available online at cityofconcord.org/ADUs. Questions can be directed to the planner on duty via email at zoning@cityofconcord.org or by phone at 925-671-3152.
— city of Concord
