Small Solutions: Second Units as Affordable Housing - Executive Summary.
Publication Date:
9/1/1988
Sponsoring Organization(s):
James Irvine Foundation San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Foundation , CA
Performing Organization(s):
San Francisco Development Fund , CA
Availability:
San Francisco Development Fund, 1107 Oak Street, San Francisco, CA 94117.
Notes:
See also main report, 5248. CP.
Descriptors:
Accessory apartments. Affordable housing. Demonstration projects. Alternative housing arrangements. Zoning regulations. Housing financing. Program evaluation.
Abstract:
This report summarizes the nature and results of the Double Unit Occupancy (DUO) Program, which was initiated by the San Francisco Development Fund in 1985 as a 3-year demonstration to create 50 new accessory apartment units and to develop a replicable model for a second program. The program has resulted in the completion of a total of 43 new, affordable second units by the end of the 1988 building season. The median rent for these second units was approximately $100 below the area's market rent for comparable units. Permits, fees, and assessments added 7 percent to second unit costs. Half the DUO units were rented to family members. The second units do not destroy the family character of neighborhoods, do not lower property values, and do not create eyesores. Instead, they increase the property tax base, pay more than their share for local infrastructure, and create a modest amount of affordable housing. Making the local governmental approval process simple, flexible, fast, and inexpensive is the most direct way to encourage the legal development of these units. Assistance should be provided during planning and approval, and financial assistance should be provided for units that benefit low-income and moderate-income households. Figures, tables and notes are included.
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