Are Pre-Reviewed Plans Part of the Solution that Will Make ADUs Affordable?
Summary of Webinar:
Casita Coalition Policy Associate Ifeatu Samuels kicked off July’s webinar presentations with an overview of pre-reviewed plans. She went over definitions and differences between pre-reviewed and standard plans, examples of successful pre-reviewed plan programs and the advantages and disadvantages of each type of program, and how different types of ADUs might interface with a pre-reviewed plan system. Ifeatu rounded off her presentation by urging local jurisdictions to pair new pre-reviewed plan programs with a strong commitment to homeowner education, since expectation management and understanding the goals for the ADU are key when working with an expedited system like a pre-reviewed plan.
Sarah Shull, the City of San Jose’s ADU ally, presented next alongside Annie Fryman from Abodu, sharing information on the City of San Jose’s pre-reviewed plan program and how companies like Abodu have been able to work with the City on the program’s development and interface with homeowners to efficiently produce more ADUs. One of the greatest takeaways was the helpfulness of one day dedicated to site-specific reviews over Zoom - “ADU Tuesdays,” as the presenters called it - with all the departments available on one call so the plan can be reviewed and approved quickly. Sarah estimated that due to this process, roughly 80% of permits that go through the pre-reviewed plan process get approved the same day. Annie additionally shared a PDF of recommendations Abodu shares with other cities that want to speed up permitting based on what has been helpful for their clients.
The webinar shifted gears after Sarah and Annie’s presentations to welcome Senator Nancy Skinner, who gave remarks on the state of the California housing crisis and how she thinks local jurisdictions and ADU advocates can move the ball forward. She stressed that expedited permitting processes like pre-reviewed plan programs and financing methods are two of the most needed tools that will help get more ADUs built, one of the only forms of housing being built in California right now on a widespread scale.
The rest of the panelists - Renee Schomp from Napa Sonoma ADU Center, David Driskell from Baird & Driskell Community Planning, Elizabeth Timme from Office of: Office, and Steve Vallejos from prefabADU - presented briefly on solutions they have found to be helpful when interacting with or creating pre-reviewed ADU programs, including:
Renee and David presented Napa Sonoma ADU’s pre-reviewed plan website that includes plans that have been pre-reviewed by the 16 cities/counties in their region as well as standard or ‘off-the-shelf’ plans, and demonstrated how the site is designed to move curious homeowners toward actionable steps
Elizabeth shared Office of: Office’s unique approach to making sure that the populations that need the support from an ADU most can benefit from pre-reviewed plan programs
Steve displayed prefabADU’s micro-unit, stressing the importance of affordability and demonstrating livability to people who are curious about small ADU spaces.
The panelists brought their unique perspectives to the conversation but overall, there was consensus on several points:
Regional efforts where cities pool resources to create pre-reviewed plans programs such as Napa Sonoma can save time and public funds
Coordination among all the agencies involved in permit decisions is the next big barrier to be addressed, using best practices models such as the City of San Jose
Strategies such as pre-reviewed plans programs are one piece of the larger puzzle of how to make ADUs more affordable and easier to permit
The webinar is available to watch here.
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