Zoning Reforms to Boost ADU Development

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Identify tensions underlying local ADU zoning reform efforts.
• Understand the opportunities to facilitate ADU development through zoning.
• Examine complementary strategies to maximize the effectiveness of ADU zoning standards.

MORE SESSION DETAILS

Planners and housing policy experts have long touted accessory dwelling units (ADUs) as a key strategy for expanding the supply of affordable housing in single-family neighborhoods. Even though many cities and counties across the country explicitly permit ADUs, zoning remains a major barrier to ADU development.

While calls to reform ADU zoning aren’t new, the ongoing affordable housing crisis has spurred recent legislative actions in California and Oregon and motivated many cities to rethink their ADU requirements. Few argue with the basic premise that nationally, the demand for ADUs far outstrips the supply. But that doesn’t mean there is a broad consensus about which zoning changes are necessary to unclog the ADU development pipeline.

Hear policy experts and practitioners present a novel zoning proposal to facilitate garage to apartment conversions, share the highs and lows of municipal ADU program administration, and weigh in on the key tensions underlying efforts to reform ADU zoning. The moderator will pose questions that give each panelist an opportunity to share perspectives on the role of zoning in expanding the supply of ADUs.

Session Speakers

David Morley, AICP
Session Organizer and Moderator
American Planning Association National
Chicago, IL

Donald C. Shoup, FAICP
Speaker
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA

Marcelle W. Boudreaux
Speaker
City of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA

Vicki S. Vandegrift, AICP
Speaker
City of Durango Plng Office
Durango, CO

Vinit Mukhija
Speaker
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA