In a move that soon may be copied by other cities facing an affordable housing shortage, organizers are going to show homeowners and prospective renters why an ADU (Auxillary housing unit) can make a big difference in meeting the city’s housing needs.
One-stop on the self-paced tour is a cottage cluster, a group of detached homes around a central common space. Other examples of legal housing added to a single-family residential lot are ADUs built from a kit or shipping container as well as a tiny houses on wheels.
Extra homes are also attached to an existing house or built on top of a new garage.
Interest in developing lots previously reserved for a single house and one ADU increased in the last two years when Portland adopted its Residential Infill Project and Oregon passed House Bill 2001 to help ease the state’s longstanding housing shortage and high costs.
Advocates say this type of infill housing on underused land makes economic sense. Accessory dwellings tap into existing utilities and services like roads, sewers and schools, and allow people to live near employment, retail centers and transit corridors.
Small, energy-efficient homes require less construction materials than larger houses and studies show they continue to save on heating, cooling and maintenance costs over time.
CLICK HERE to read the entire Oregon Live article and/or sign up for the tour
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Gary Fleisher is the Editor in Chief of Modular Home Source and Offsite Builder. Email at [email protected]
To learn more about the Offsite Construction Industry, visit: Offsite Builder, the Construction Magazine for Builders and Developers
