The challenge is that we are very short on housing for working families. One reason is that when land becomes available private developers often focus on the “highest and best use” which around here often means building $400,000 condos for retirees.
The problem is that our essential workers, in healthcare, education, public safety, and manufacturing, cannot find affordable housing. This limits everyone’s ability to prosper in our fair valley, employees have a hard time saving or take jobs elsewhere while employers struggle to hire the staff they need.
We have lots of land, but many landowners (families, churches, fraternal organizations, and businesses) do not want to sell their land even if they don’t want to develop it in the near future. Leasing lets the owner own and a developer build with lower upfront costs.
Benefits to the landowner
Retain ownership and future appreciation of land
Regular income
Avoid capital gains that a sale might trigger
Little to no upfront costs to create cash flow
Can support the community by making land available for a great cause
Benefits to the community
More housing faster with lower upfront costs
Secures the land for the life of the building
More people willing to lease than to sell
Prime locations become more accessible – walkability and transit are key
How does it work?
Most land leases are quite straightforward and last 60+ years
Owner agrees to allow the developer to use the property to build and operate housing for upto 99 years
All zoning rules and regular escrow processes are followed
ADU is short for Accessory Dwelling Unit. It can be accessory to detached single-family homes, townhouses, manufactured homes and duplex dwellings on their own lot.
Supports aging in place, generational wealth building, and housing for extended family or friends.
Adds affordable “missing middle” housing options in a moment of critical shortage/ opportunity. Missing middle is everything from ADUs to 8 unit complexes.
Increases property values 25% to 34%. A 2012 study from Portland.
Accelerates mortgage payoff at a time when 24% of Oregon homeowners are mortgage burdened and of that 9% are severely cost burdened- Oregon Center for Public Policy
Reduces the need for cars and increases walking, biking, and transit use.
How an ADU could work for you
ADUs are extremely valuable when it’s time to sell your home.
Studies show that ADUs can increase property values and make homes more desirable to potential buyers, especially those interested in aging-in-place.
Here’s Carlos Delgado, the architect who designed the ADU plans pre approved in the city of Medford talking about his approach to ADUs.
When ADUs might not work
Zoning restrictions – most single family lots can now include an ADU
Not enough space on your lot – buildable area of your lot, set backs, etc.
Access to utilities is expensive – is there enough slope for the sewer line?
Upfront costs of planning and permits
Financing ADU’s can be tricky – check with your banker
The form of your existing house may not make an attached ADU easy – attached ADU example
Check with your local community development staff before you give up on the ADU idea. More info below
How to get started
Here’s Kristen Maze, Director of Community Development at the City of Talent helping you think about preparing to apply for permits to build an ADU.
Trying to Make the Complex Simpler
This process is NOT simple. We are trying to help you get started, but know that there are many options and potential roadblocks along the way. But, as Derek says, the hard work is definitely worth it!
The city of Houston, TX has great ADU resources including a free ebook of plans.
A Few Key Details About ADUs In Your Area
This is only a few key pieces of a much larger puzzle. Check with your local planning department, their contact information is at the top of this table. On your phone, click on the phone number to dial it.
Up to 75% of the primary dwelling’s Gross Habitable Floor Area (GHFA) Detached ADUs cannot be larger than 900 sq. ft.; attached ADUs converted from existing space in the primary home cannot be larger than 50% of the primary dwelling
Other rules
– just a start here, look at more info links for the complete picture
In Portland, some developers who lease your land and build an ADU for you
There is a lot of useful data around cost assumptions and financing options in this document from Santa Cruz County in California. Of course, our fees are different, but many of the construction cost estimates, financing options, etc. are still useful.
ADUs are an important way to fill in the missing middle in our housing supply.
A fun tiny house village in Portland. h/t buildinganadu.com
What Home Builders Can Do to Simplify Later ADU Development
Professional home builders can make ADU development much easier by planning ahead. This video offers a few good ideas.
One creative idea for affordable homes with ADUs is for builders to build the ADU first and sell the large lot with its approved larger home site left for future development. This allows buyers to get started on homeownership more easily while they can look forward to building their larger home once they have built equity in their starter home.
Other Ways to Encourage Missing Middle Development
ECONorthwest put together a very useful list of options for easing the development of affordable housing that might be extended to the development of attainable housing as well.
R3V has been honored to help facilitate a conversation among community partners seeking to expand opportunities for Spanish-speaking adults to gain basic literacy and numeracy skills to improve their work prospects.
The goal is to create a feeder system to expansion of Head Start’s LISTO family literacy program.
To work as a community to connect with land owners who might be interested in making To support mission-driven landowners (faith-based organizations, governments, educational institutions, business, etc.) in thoughtfully pursuing affordable and attainable housing development on their properties.
Context
As we know, the fires of 2020 destroyed nearly 1,700 affordable and attainable homes in Phoenix and Talent. Private developers are meeting market demand for nice, new homes, but are not building enough housing for our essential workers and those in lower earning periods of their lives. Front line and middle managers, seniors, young couples, and those who cannot work.
The Opportunity
Reimagine & Rebuild Rogue Valley and the Long Term Recovery Group can help support landowners’ planning for the use of surplus lands and facilitate conversations between landowners and mission driven developers willing to create more housing. We can also convene Community conversations and support of opportunities to develop more housing built into the greenway and traffic growth management projects as well
Our Approach
Our goal now is to begin conversations with people who own land and want to make a difference in their community, whether by selling, leasing, or donating the land into a mission-driven development opportunity. Here is a presentation of an approach we have developed based on best practices developed by MHCH’s congregational lands program in Pasadena, CA. Here’s a video explaining their program (starts at the substantive part)
To Get Started
We need to build two teams to support our land availability work. First, we need a team of local leaders who can connect with landowners and teach them about the need for housing and their potential role in solutions. Second, we need a team of technical experts to support landowners in thinking through their values and how housing development might further their goals.
Pro Housing Leaders – Build a group of pro housing community leaders who can connect with landowners – congregations, businesses, government entities, schools, and private citizens.
Technical Experts – Engage a team of volunteer local real estate and building experts to support landowners in thinking about how they might develop their land in service of their enlightened self interest.
Once the team is assembled, they will support the
Development Process
Support development of a clear vision for landowners and how a request for proposals can further their goals
Facilitate the collaboration of landowners and developers through a process that meets everyone’s needs with win/win/win solutions for landowners, developers, and the community
Here’s an illustration of how this process unfolds. Our teams will work as coordinators across the entire development process.
Click on this image or the link below for full explanation of how this program works.
Click here or on the image above to view the slide presentation
Types of development envisioned
The goal is permanent, owner-occupied housing wherever possible, not transitional housing.
Starter homes for sale
Cottage clusters
Duplexes to Quads
Multifamily apartments
Cooperatively owned mobile home parks
Ideal land characteristics
Inside urban growth boundary
1 acre and larger
Zoned multifamily residential, commercial, religious, or single family residential
Near transit
Land owners of particular interest
We believe that mainline denomination faith-based organizations could align with both shared values and ownership of available land.
Long time landowners who have not sold out of a sense of stewardship for the land and our community could also be interested.
How you can help
Reach out and join our team as a Pro Housing Leader or a Technical Expert
Think of anyone in your circles who may own land and has a heart for this community and begin the conversation. We are happy to join the discussion as early as you feel comfortable.
