ARROYO GRANDE ADU/THOW PROGRAM

Available to City of Arroyo Grande Homeowners

Smart Share Housing Solutions is pleased to kick of its Arroyo Grande–ADU AND THOW program in May 2023. Smart Share has an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant from the City of Arroyo Grande to enhance affordable accessory dwelling unit production in the City. The program aims to: 1) assist lower-income homeowners to produce ADUs; and 2) to create lower cost ADUs that can be rented to lower income residents or family members for affordable rents.

This project is funded for 2023 and 2024 for five (5) FREE "How-To-ADU" Workshops and a Demonstration ADU project in the City of Arroyo Grande. Site feasibility visits and ADU information services will be limited to City of Arroyo Grande homeowners only.

Past event: WHY ADU FOR THE CITY OF ARROYO GRANDE HOME OWNER?


For A.G. homeowners looking for help with community housing needs, create inter-generational housing, and/or earn a bit of additional income, ADUs and THOWs can serve all these purposes and more!

  1. Thurs. May 18th, 4:30pm at AG Council Chambers, 215 E Branch Street
  2. Thurs. May 18th, 6:30pm at AG Council Chambers, 215 E Branch Street
  3. Weds. May 24th, 10:30am at AG Council Chambers, 215 E Branch Street
  4. Weds. May 31st, 10:30am at Smart Share Demo Cottage, 2880 Broad St. SLO
  5. Tues. June 6th, 5:30pm VIRTUAL Workshop

We had over 120 enthusiastic and very interested Arroyo Grande homeowners attend these five workshops. The attendees received a wealth of information about Design, Permitting, Finance, and Construction of ADUs & THOWs from Smart Share staff and the City of Arroyo Grande City planning staff.


If you missed these workshops and/or would like to review the Presentation, click on the button below for the "How to ADU" Slides:

FOLLOW THESE LINKS TO LEARN MORE:


  • Casita Coalition has a wealth of information regarding "Legalizing Unpermitted ADUs", "ADU Financing Guide For the Homeowners", and "Guide to Garage Conversions" - www.casitacoalition.org/guidebooks-for-homeowners
  • HelloADU's programs are designed to support homeowners through every phase of the design and construction process creating housing stability for existing homeowners while adding new rental units that are affordable to a median-income tenant: www.hellohousing.org/adus

PROJECT DESCRIPTION. The project has multiple parts over two years, 2023 and 2024.


  1. May/June 2023 - Community Outreach & Education – website information and 5 free public workshops for City of Arroyo Grande homeowners.

  2. Summer/Fall 2023 - Technical, site (backyard) feasibility visits. Funding is available for up to 30 home site visits! Contact us at info@smartsharehousingsolutions.org for the Sign Up Link.

  3. Fall 2023 to Summer 2024 - Demonstration Model ADU. One Pre-Reviewed Plan Project to receive free project management support.

  4. Late 2024 - Showcase success: an ADU home tour!


WHAT'S AN ADU (ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT)?


An Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) is an attached or detached residential dwelling unit that provides complete, independent living facilities for one or more persons, including permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking, sanitation, and parking, and is located on a lot with a proposed or existing dwelling.

WHAT'S A THOW (TINY HOUSES ON WHEELS)?


Movable tiny houses are typically separate, independent living quarters with the following characteristics:

  • No larger than 400 square feet
  • Mounted on a wheeled trailer frame
  • Includes basic functional areas that support normal daily routines, including a bathroom, kitchen, and sleeping area
  • Designed and built to look like a conventional single-family house
  • Utilizes conventional building materials

PRE-REVIEWED PLANS


Pre-reviewed plans have been drawn by licensed architects and have already been cleared by the building department to be safe. Sets of these plans are available free for Arroyo Grande homeowners and can save thousands of dollars of design fees and reduce permitting and processing costs and time.  The unit sizes range from a 316 square foot studio to a 1,007 square foot two-bedroom unit and are available in four different architectural styles, shown below (L to R): Backyard Craftsman, California Modern, Beach Bungalow, and Coastal Ranch.

For a complete list of the various sizes and design types of Arroyo Grande pre-reviewed plans, see here: www.arroyogrande.org/796/Pre-Designed-Accessory-Dwelling-Units
Enter in your address and contact info in the form to get detailed plan sets emailed to you.

OTHER RESOURCES FOR ARROYO GRANDE HOMEOWNERS


Workshop description: ADU workshops are for City of Arroyo Grande homeowners considering constructing an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) in their backyards.

Consider constructing an ADU in the city? Join Smart Share Housing and City planning staff at a workshop to learn more about what's possible and how to do it:

  • Types of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and Tiny Houses On Wheels (THOWs)
  • What's allowed–setbacks, size, height, fees and fee waivers
  • Design–pre-reviewed plans and other designs
  • Cost & financing–be prepared; it may be more than you think
  • Permitting–how to, start to finish
  • Construction–choosing a builder or contractor
  • Rental management–things to consider, e.g. insurance, maintenance, property taxes and finding renters that are right for you


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