SoCoNews Article: Windsor Council Onboard to Increase ADU Production

Crosspost from SoCoNews

Author: Renée J. Schomp, Director

The Napa Sonoma ADU Center had the pleasure of joining the Mayor and Town Council of Windsor earlier this month to share about accessory dwelling units and how they can help us increase housing affordability here in our community.

We were thrilled that one of the homeowners we’ve completed an ADU Feasibility Consult for in Windsor joined to share public comment about her experience during the meeting, as well!

Below are some snippets from the conversation, written by Brandon McCapes, Staff Writer at SoCoNews:

At their Feb. 2 meeting, Windsor Town Council members expressed interest in amending compatibility requirements that pose barriers to the construction of fast and affordable accessory dwelling units (ADUs), something identified as a means of meeting housing targets and creating wealth among Windsor low- and middle-income homeowners.

Schomp said encouraging the construction of ADUs can also help jurisdictions like the Town of Windsor meet their state Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA). If municipalities don’t meet their RHNA goals — and it’s anticipated Windsor won’t for the current eight-year cycle ending this year — they can lose local control over certain types of developments.

ADUs are an excellent way for jurisdictions to build affordable housing in our communities. They help diversity neighborhoods, open up more school districts to low-income households,” Schomp said. “They help you meet RHNA goals and help you as a community to support lower- and middle-income households.

Furthermore, the State of California has recently passed legislation relaxing regulation on ADUs, seen as a way to quickly provide additional housing to combat the housing crisis, and Schomp said this has increased demand.

The Napa Sonoma ADU Center works with homeowners to realistic [sic] plan the completion of ADUs through consultations and connecting them to contractors. It also works with jurisdictions to revise ordinances and help streamline ADU construction, such as by selecting preapproved designs that can be easily installed by homeowners.