The county seeks to streamline the ADU process with pre-approved architectural plans.

Between 2018 and 2020, Monterey County permitted 43 accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, smaller homes typically constructed in backyards to provide additional housing. The number of ADUs constructed in the county was actually less than half of those permitted, 21, according to the Center for Community Innovation at UC Berkeley, which tracks the growth of ADUs across California, especially as new state laws encouraging ADU construction have come into place since January 2021.

One way jurisdictions can increase ADU permitting and construction is through offering pre-approved plans, CCI researchers said in an October 2020 report, and that’s exactly what Monterey County is doing to potentially bump up the number of ADUs successfully constructed.

On Dec. 16, the Housing and Community Development Department posted a request for proposals asking designers to submit ADU plan designs for pre-approval by the department. The deadline to submit an RFP is Jan. 28.

“The county aims to streamline the ADU permitting process by reducing the cost and by making the permitting process easier for residents to build ADUs by offering pre-approved plans in an effort to address the housing crisis,” states a Jan. 12 memorandum from HCD Director Erik Lundquist to the Monterey County Planning Commission.

Potential contractors would be required to design and develop a minimum of two detached building plans, including the architectural and structural plans, for each of three building types: studios, one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms. Lundquist said plans should be designed in a way that homeowners could expand ADUs by adding an additional room. Designers would also develop design features that could be added to remain compatible with the main home’s architectural style.

Residents will have the option to choose one of the pre-approved plans but will still need to submit site plans for permitting, according to the RFP.