ADUs (Auxiliary Dwelling Units) in Solano County, CA, are being looked at to help ease the Affordable Housing situation. ADUs come in many forms, from onsite-built homes to tiny houses, converted shipping containers all the way to modular ADUs.
Solano County supervisors clearly support using $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act dollars to fund a subsidized auxiliary dwelling unit program to create more affordable housing options in the unincorporated area.
Although the program details are still being worked out – with a host of suggestions made to staff at Tuesday’s meeting – the concept is to provide between $40,000 and $75,000 to property owners to place prefabricated studio, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom homes as secondary dwellings at their home sites.
The size of the units could be less than 500 square feet up to 1,200 square feet. The funding would pay for up to 30 units.
The ADUs are meant to provide additional housing options for lower-income residents.
A proposed tier system by which the subsidy amount would increase for property owners who are willing to accept greater deed restrictions, such as keeping rents down for extended periods of time, and for choosing dwellings that have more senior- and disability-friendly options.
Qualifying for the subsidy also would be based, in part, on income levels.
If the property is sold before the term of the agreement is completed, then a 6.6% annual fee would be charged on the remaining grant or loan amount so the county can recoup some of its costs.
This appears to be a great solution to the affordable housing crisis but 30 housing units in a county next to Sacramento seems like just a drop in the bucket.
We can do better.
