The city of Salinas is tackling the housing crisis, once again – this time by making it easier for homeowners to build accessible dwelling units. >>Find the pre-approved ADU plans, here”Ensuring that we are being creative with what we do have in city limits is going to be a really critical element in expanding our housing opportunities,” Mayor Kimbley Craig said. Simply put, an ADU is an added living space retrofitted with a bathroom and cooking area. It can be attached or detached from the home and rented out for passive income. The Salinas planning department released four, free, pre-approved, detached ADU designs to minimize development costs for homeowners. Included are schematics for one and two-bedroom designs in several styles spanning about 500 to 750 square feet. Normally, a homeowner would need to hire a professional to design the ADU, a process that could cost $10,000-$15,000 and require multiple revisions. “A lot of times the designers may or may not know with the requirements of the city are. And then sometimes we were very careful when we were building the plans to involve one of our building inspectors who also was doing an ADU,” Megan Hunter, the Salinas community development director, said. “Sadly, unscrupulous design professionals who will prepare something without knowing the rules and then charge the applicant every time a revision is made. And honestly, it’s not fair to the to the owners and also come early, you know, be participate in the meetings.” Over the past two years, the city has issued 213 permits and counting. Hunter says that with continual interest, additional ADU designs may be drafted and released. For more information, city is hosting an ADU workshop on Oct. 6 at 6 p.m. at the Salinas Firehouse Recreation Center, 1330 E Alisal St. Salinas.
The city of Salinas is tackling the housing crisis, once again – this time by making it easier for homeowners to build accessible dwelling units.
>>Find the pre-approved ADU plans, here
“Ensuring that we are being creative with what we do have in city limits is going to be a really critical element in expanding our housing opportunities,” Mayor Kimbley Craig said.
Simply put, an ADU is an added living space retrofitted with a bathroom and cooking area. It can be attached or detached from the home and rented out for passive income.
The Salinas planning department released four, free, pre-approved, detached ADU designs to minimize development costs for homeowners. Included are schematics for one and two-bedroom designs in several styles spanning about 500 to 750 square feet.
Normally, a homeowner would need to hire a professional to design the ADU, a process that could cost $10,000-$15,000 and require multiple revisions.
“A lot of times the designers may or may not know with the requirements of the city are. And then sometimes we were very careful when we were building the plans to involve one of our building inspectors who also was doing an ADU,” Megan Hunter, the Salinas community development director, said. “Sadly, unscrupulous design professionals who will prepare something without knowing the rules and then charge the applicant every time a revision is made. And honestly, it’s not fair to the to the owners and also come early, you know, be participate in the meetings.”
Over the past two years, the city has issued 213 permits and counting. Hunter says that with continual interest, additional ADU designs may be drafted and released.
For more information, city is hosting an ADU workshop on Oct. 6 at 6 p.m. at the Salinas Firehouse Recreation Center, 1330 E Alisal St. Salinas.
