November News from the Napa Sonoma ADU Center
Reimagining Our Community, With ADUs
A lot can be said about the past year and a half, and in this year’s season of gratitude I am choosing to focus on how this unique and challenging period of time has catalyzed us to reimagine our communities -- and how we live -- in a promising way.
The beauty, practicality and importance of accessory dwelling units as a key housing solution came into focus when our social and family lives suddenly revolved around “pods” and families could no longer rely on schools or child care for their children while they worked. As a result, I saw adult siblings temporarily move in with each other to help care for nieces and nephews and grandparents step in where others could not. Meanwhile, single adult children moved out of urban centers and returned to live with their older parents here in Napa and Sonoma Counties -- while still others realized they would much rather have their elderly parents living near them, rather than in an assisted living facility where rates of transmission could be high.
Many of these homeowners came to our nonprofit, the Napa Sonoma ADU Center, seeking help building an ADU as a solution to their need for sustainable communal living. And still others came to us because they suddenly spent so much time at home that they realized their property could be working harder for them, by developing a passive income stream via building and renting out an ADU on their land. (Last winter, Apartment Therapy blog even called ADUs “one of COVID-19’s most popular home additions.”)
Meanwhile, some folks had already recognized the benefits of accessory dwelling units as an ideal housing solution to cultivate mutual aid amongst neighbors, friends or family. ADU expert Kol Peterson wrote in his 2018 book Backyard Revolution: The Definitive Guide to ADU Development about two single mothers who lived on a property together -- one in the ADU and one in the primary residence. He describes how the two women “built a magical play space and garden in the rear yard, complete with ducks, a hot tub, and a swing set. They took turns looking after each other’s kids, who played together. This type of social cohousing arrangement could not exist, physically or economically, as fluidly in any other housing form in this neighborhood.”
Speaking of collaboration and community, here at the Napa Sonoma ADU Center we’ve had the privilege of partnering this month with local nonprofits Generation Housing and Homes for Sonoma. Catch the recording of our panel Small Spaces with Big Impact at Gen H’s recent Innovations in Housing Development conference where we talked about all things ADU.
And come meet me in person on Saturday, November 20 from 1:00 - 4:00 pm at Railroad Square in Santa Rosa, where I’ll be joining the folks at Homes for Sonoma at their model prefab ADU and handing out free hard copies of our ADU Workbook! (Learn more about other dates you can tour their modular unit in person here.)
Coming up next Tuesday, November 16, join me and our ADU Expert Scott Johnson along with planning and building department staff from the cities of Napa and Santa Rosa for a webinar on How to Do an ADU Permit Application (register here today)!
On Thursday, December 2, we’ll be holding a more informal webinar than usual focused on highlighting common questions we get from homeowners and answering your ADU questions live (register here today!)
And if you missed it this past week, we held a robust webinar diving deep into the world of prefabricated ADUs -- check out the recording right here.
The last year and a half has been tough for many, and for those in need of a home or social support and connection, doubly so. I’m grateful to meet homeowners across Napa and Sonoma Counties every day who are discovering accessory dwelling units as a means of reimagining how we can collectively help ourselves, our families, and our community.
Warmly,
Renée J. Schomp
Director, Napa Sonoma ADU Center
PS - Follow us on social media to stay in touch and to hear as we roll out new free ADU resources and tools for homeowners!
PPS - Este boletín completo y todas las publicaciones del blog se pueden traducir al español en nuestro sitio web! // The full newsletter and all blog posts can be translated to Spanish on our website here!
Neighbor Spotlight:
When we were expecting our first child, there was an inescapable pull back to Marin. For ten years my husband and I had been living in San Francisco in a small one-bedroom apartment and going over the bridge to Marin for work. Plus, our moms still lived in the homes we grew up in and we wanted to be close to them.
It was tough to find something affordable, so my mom threw out the idea that we move into the pool house temporarily. Since my family moved in thirty years ago, they had added a bathroom and closet, but it wasn’t very livable, so we started talking about renovation. At first, my mom and I were pretty skeptical, but my husband took on the project and ran with it. We worked with a contractor he knew from high school who found us a great architect, and it was completed in a year.
“
Honestly, if it weren’t for the Napa Sonoma ADU organization, I doubt this project would get off the ground. The [ADU] feasibility report is such a vital stepping stone for everyday people confronting a complicated ADU world. Please keep doing this great work!”
Give to Napa Valley Community Foundation
If you would like to support our nonprofit program’s continued efforts to help homeowners in Napa and Sonoma Counties, please feel free to do so at this link (to our fiscal sponsor, Napa Valley Community Foundation) where you can designate it to the Napa Sonoma ADU Center.