ADU options going to Santa Cruz county supervisors Tuesday – Santa Cruz Sentinel

County fees are estimated at $18,226 for a one-bedroom, 640 square-foot accessory dwelling unit above a garage in Pajaro Valley. This does not include fees charged by water, fire, sewer and school districts.

Processing: $1,587

Building plan check: $1,412

Permit fee: $1,425

Soil report: $1,573

Environmental plan check: $576

Environmental inspections: $350

Address review: $145

Zoning review: $742

Road review: $433

Drainage review: $970

Roadside improvements: $3,000

Park fees: $1,000

Child care fees: $109

Affordable housing fee: $1,280

General plan & technology: $624

Source: Draft county ADU report

SANTA CRUZ >> Its hard to say how many accessory dwelling units in unincorporated Santa Cruz County have been created without permits.

One estimate is up to 5,000. Another is 1,000-2,000.

Those figures come from a 200-page report going to Santa Cruz County supervisors at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday with a package of recommendations to encourage property owners to go through the countys ADU permit process.

County planners see accessory dwelling units, which tend to be less than 1,000 square feet, as a way to create rentals that are more affordable but county homeowners have been wary, with only 16 ADU permits issued in 2016.

Costs are the biggest obstacle, according to the report.

Building a one-bedroom, 640-square-foot unit above a garage in Pajaro Valley is estimated to cost $181,443 including $18,226 in county fees. Construction costs are estimated at $200 per square foot.

New construction of a two-bedroom 800-square-foot ADU in Soquel would cost more, an estimated $379,914.

This includes $20,353 in county fees and $53,961 in special district fees.

In Soquel, the Soquel Creek Water District requires a second hookup, which costs $13,500. Installation requires hiring a contractor, adding $20,000 to $30,000.

Planning director Kathy Previsich estimates up to half the accessory dwellings is the county were created without permits, based on 650 responses to the countys online survey.

About 150 people attended two ADU workshops, indicating community interest.

Consultants Dyett & Bhatia and Vernazza Wolfe Associates drafted a detailed report on challenges and options to encourage ADUs. Recommendations include:

Establish an ADU team with the building official, a planner, a plan checker and planning technician for consistency in reviewing and processing applications. It can take two months to get county comments now.

Eliminate the affordable housing impact fee for ADUs involving converting space; the fee is not charged on remodels.

Offer property owners an assessment of changes to legalize an ADU, with amnesty and privacy for those who do not pursue it.

Offer 20-year loans of up to $40,000 toward ADU costs in exchange for deed restrictions for below-market rent to households with up to 80 percent of median income. Rent for a one-bedroom unit would be capped at $1,044 for a two-person household earning $64,550.

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Allow ADUs above garages with height averaging 21 feet, currently 19 feet, and a maximum of 24 feet, currently 22 feet.

Allow larger ADUs, up to 800 square feet on parcel up to 10,000 square feet outside the urban services line.

Allow additions of up to 150 square feet for a conversion ADU to make conversions easier.

Allow up to 2 percent more lot coverage and floor area ratio on parcels 6,000 square feet and smaller to make conversions easier.

Create an ADU design book to help property owners through the permit process.

Develop a program with Habitat for Humanity to do one ADU construction per year for seniors aging in place.

To homeowners who want to lower costs, the report noted a conversion ADU of a garage or existing space in the home is less expensive than new construction.

Fire sprinklers are required for new construction but not if sprinklers are not in the main home.

Additions under 500 square feet are exempt from some permit reviews and fees, which could make that approach more cost effective.

Lighthouse Bank, which offers construction financing and home equity loans, has financed six ADUs in nine years. Bay Federal Credit Union offers home equity loans but not construction financing.

The research included interviews with housing advocates Don Lane and Tom Burns, tenant advocates Cynthia Berger and Zav Hershfield and two property owners Denise and Lydia.

City of Santa Cruz: Architects Mark Primack and Jacquie Low created prototype designs in 2003. Tandem parking is allowed. Permit process takes two weeks to six months when plans are inadequate. Reducing the minimum lot size to 4,500 square feet and changing required setbacks for existing buildings encouraged legalization.

Capitola: Administrative process takes one month; two permits a year. Most lots do not qualify due to 5,000-square foot minimum lot size. Soquel Creek Water hookup cost is a deterrent.

Watsonville: Application process is over the counter. Garages are being converted without permits to living space.

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ADU options going to Santa Cruz county supervisors Tuesday - Santa Cruz Sentinel