In this case, it’s a fresh online tool designed to help with the construction of accessory dwelling units (ADUs), sometimes called granny flats. ADUs are basically small houses built on a single-family lot, typically in the backyard.
Several state laws that recently kicked in seek to encourage more ADU construction to make it easier for residents to find reliable shelter in a state with the most expensive housing prices in the country.
One of those laws, which took effect on Jan. 1, requires local governments in California to craft preapproval programs for ADUs, along with streamlined review for those structures.
The idea is to make it easier to build ADUs by cutting out some of the red tape, and to keep alive the energy that has led to an estimated 80,000 of those small houses being permitted since another ADU bill was passed in 2016.
That’s where gov tech comes in, as shown in Hayward, Calif., one of the larger cities in the Bay Area. It is one of 51 local governments in the state that are using or plan to soon start using the ADU Plans Gallery tool from the Community Planning Collaborative, which works with community groups and other organizations on land use planning and related tasks.
“It’s the perfect product at the perfect time,” Elizabeth Blanton, a senior planner for Hayward, told Government Technology. “It took all the hard work out of it for us.”
The plans gallery describes itself as a “turnkey website” that offers examples of predesigned ADUs. Homeowners and designers can customize their ADUs based on local regulations and site restrictions, all the while making sure they don’t run afoul of state housing laws.
Backers of the gallery, one of several such online programs in the U.S., say it saves time and money for those seeking to build ADUs — savings that can also translate to public agencies.
“You don’t have to go through the full plan process,” said Blanton. “It takes a lot of work off our team.”
She said that many of the people interested in building ADUs don’t have much design or development experience, making the gallery attractive to them.
“This gives them a sense of what they can do,” Blanton said.
Hayward began using the ADU gallery in December, and she said the city will measure its success or failure via such metrics as shorter processing times for ADU plans and whether the online resource leads to more of those structures being built. A potential challenge for the gallery will come in 2026, she said, when the state’s building codes are set for a regular update.
As Hayward and other California cities try out the ADU gallery, other forms of technology are appealing to those seeking ways to bring more housing to the state. For instance, property developers in the Bay Area are putting faith into artificial intelligence, hoping it can help them reduce design and building times, speeding up construction and holding down costs.
