ARROYO GRANDE ADU/THOW PROGRAM
Available to City of Arroyo Grande Homeowners
ADU Workshops in Arroyo Grande
We've finished our workshops for now, but you can view the presentation slides at this link, or using the button below.
Over 87 people attended our Arroyo Grande ADU workshops in spring 2024. At least 20 people scheduled free site feasibility visits, which are currently underway.
Back-to-Back Workshops were held in the City Council Chambers from 10am-noon on Wednesday, April 24 and Saturday, April 27. Smart Share Housing Solutions & Arroyo Grande City planning staff presented information about design, permitting, finance, and construction of ADUs & THOWs.
Smart Share Housing Solutions has an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant from the City of Arroyo Grande to enhance affordable accessory dwelling unit production in the City. The program aims to: 1) assist lower-income homeowners to produce ADUs; and 2) to create lower cost ADUs that can be rented to lower income residents or family members for affordable rents.
Join the Smart Share mailing list to receive more information on upcoming free community workshops, backyard feasibility visits and other activities. Site feasibility visits and ADU information services will be limited to City of Arroyo Grande homeowners only.
"It was a great introductory presentation. Exactly what I needed."
Past event: WHY ADU FOR THE CITY OF ARROYO GRANDE HOME OWNER?
In 2023 and 2024 we were pleased to welcome over 207 enthusiastic and very interested Arroyo Grande homeowners to our workshops. Attendees received a wealth of information about Design, Permitting, Finance, and Construction of ADUs & THOWs from Smart Share staff and the City of Arroyo Grande City planning staff.
If you missed these workshops and/or would like to review the Presentation, click on the button below for the "How to ADU" Slides:
FOLLOW THESE LINKS TO LEARN MORE:
- City of Arroyo Grande: www.arroyogrande.org/665/Accessory-Dwelling-Units-ADUs
- Smart Share Housing Solutions Events page
- Sign up to receive our e-newsletters with the latest news delivered right to your in-box
- Casita Coalition has a wealth of information regarding "Legalizing Unpermitted ADUs", "ADU Financing Guide For the Homeowners", and "Guide to Garage Conversions" - www.casitacoalition.org/guidebooks-for-homeowners
- HelloADU's programs are designed to support homeowners through every
phase of the design and construction process creating housing stability
for existing homeowners while adding new rental units that are
affordable to a median-income tenant: www.hellohousing.org/adus
PROJECT DESCRIPTION. The project has multiple parts over two years, 2023 and 2024.
- May/June 2023 - Community Outreach & Education – website information and 5 free public workshops for City of Arroyo Grande homeowners.
- Summer/Fall 2023 - Technical, site (backyard) feasibility visits.
- Spring 2024 - Two free workshop days plus free feasibility visits.
Check back for more community educational workshops and homeowner feasibility assistance.
WHAT'S AN ADU (ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT)?
An Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) is an attached or detached residential dwelling unit that provides complete, independent living facilities for one or more persons, including permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking, sanitation, and parking, and is located on a lot with a proposed or existing dwelling.
WHAT'S A THOW (TINY HOUSES ON WHEELS)?
Movable tiny houses are typically separate, independent living quarters with the following characteristics:
- No larger than 400 square feet
- Mounted on a wheeled trailer frame
- Includes basic functional areas that support normal daily routines, including a bathroom, kitchen, and sleeping area
- Designed and built to look like a conventional single-family house
- Utilizes conventional building materials
PRE-REVIEWED PLANS
Pre-reviewed plans have been drawn by licensed architects and have
already been cleared by the building department to be safe. Sets of
these plans are available free for Arroyo Grande homeowners and
can save thousands of dollars of design fees and reduce permitting and
processing costs and time. The unit sizes range from a 316 square foot studio to a 1,007 square
foot two-bedroom unit and are available in four different architectural
styles, shown below (L to R): Backyard Craftsman, California Modern, Beach Bungalow, and Coastal Ranch.
For a complete list of the various sizes and design types of Arroyo
Grande pre-reviewed plans, see here: www.arroyogrande.org/796/Pre-Designed-Accessory-Dwelling-Units
Enter in your address and contact info in the form to get detailed plan
sets emailed to you.
OTHER RESOURCES FOR ARROYO GRANDE HOMEOWNERS
Workshop description: ADU workshops are for City of Arroyo Grande homeowners considering constructing an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) in their backyards.
Consider constructing an ADU in the city? Join Smart Share Housing and City planning staff at a workshop to learn more about what's possible and how to do it:
- Types of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and Tiny Houses On Wheels (THOWs)
- What's allowed–setbacks, size, height, fees and fee waivers
- Design–pre-reviewed plans and other designs
- Cost & financing–be prepared; it may be more than you think
- Permitting–how to, start to finish
- Construction–choosing a builder or contractor
- Rental management–things to consider, e.g. insurance, maintenance, property taxes and finding renters that are right for you