NEW STANDARD PLAN PROGRAM HOPING TO SPEED UP LA ADU CONSTRUCTION

KEEPING YOU INFORMED IN LOS ANGELES

At a time when housing production in California's coastal markets has been outsourced by demand, accessory dwelling units (ADUs) have been a good sight for Los Angeles.

Nearly 20,000 applications since 2017 have been submitted for new ADUs to the city, following the approval of a new state which relaxed local regulations on new backyard homes and garage conversions. According to the Housing Progress Dashboard, the city has approved over 14,000 of those applications, with approximately 7,700 receiving certificates of occupancy.

With ADUs now reckoning 22% of its newly-permitted housing units, the city of LA last week reported the launch of a new initiative offering pre-approved plans that can be authorized and built faster.

The ADU standard plan program includes 20 pre-approved design options from 10 different companies. The city approximates that the use of one of these layouts can reduce the plan-check review period for new ADUs from 4-6 weeks to as little as one day.