Over two years in the making and thousands of hours of volunteer effort, The Housing Solutions Partnership is making free, pre-approved plans for accessory dwelling units available to the public to increase housing for local workers, students, and others. The unveiling of the four award-winning plans will take place on February 26th at noon at the North Idaho Building Contractors office, 1928 N 4th St., Coeur d’Alene.
Accessory dwelling units, also known as ADUs, granny flats, in-law suites, and backyard cottages, offer a practical solution to Kootenai County’s housing crunch, said Kiki Miller, a Coeur d’Alene council member and a founder of the Housing Solutions Partnership.
“An ADU is a small home or apartment built on the same property as a single-family residence,” Miller said. “Basements, attics, and garages can be converted into ADUs, or the ADU can be a detached, standalone structure.”
Accessory dwelling units are allowed in Coeur d’Alene, Hayden, Post Falls, and Kootenai County, but Miller said other municipalities are considering allowing ADUs to address a lack of attainable housing in Kootenai County.
“By providing free ADU plans, the partnership is removing several financial barriers for residents who want to build an ADU on their property,” Miller said. “One of them is that because the plans have been essentially pre-approved, a builder will not have to wait as long for permits and can repeat the same process multiple times.”
The partnership’s ADU subcommittee solicited plan proposals from local architects, home designers, and engineers. A group of past presidents of the North Idaho Building Contractors Association selected four plans, which were reviewed by building department officials and local planners. Winning designers were awarded a stipend, funded by community sponsors, including Mountain West Bank, Numerica Credit Union, and First Interstate Bank.
“We appreciate the designers who submitted plans for this project and our community sponsors who made it possible,” said Art Elliott, committee member and NIBCA past president. “ADUs provide a way to increase housing density while taking advantage of underutilized spaces such as backyards and garages. We can add housing without compromising the character of existing neighborhoods.”
Winning designers include Hall Design and Drafting, Rau Home Design & Drafting Service, Honor Built Homes, and Lakeside Architecture.
“When a homeowner adds an ADU to their property, they can help offset mortgage payments or generate additional income,” Miller said. “Besides housing for workers and students, ADUs can provide housing for a homeowner’s adult children or aging parents.” She said that retirees looking to downsize could even live in an ADU and rent out their main home.
Because zoning and building codes vary among jurisdictions that allow ADUs, the partnership created a white paper that includes addendums for use specific to each jurisdiction, information from the County and Panhandle Health District, and information directing those with septic or aquifer considerations.
Those documents and the free plans are available to view and download at www.housingni.org and www.nibca.com.
“There’s no one single solution or quick fix to the county’s housing issues,” Miller said, “but the partnership and its partners are implementing strategies to make a difference for as many residents as we can while continuing to keep in mind things that work for existing neighborhoods. This is one of them.”
The Housing Solutions Partnership was formed in 2020 by jurisdictions throughout Kootenai County to address housing and growth-related challenges. One of the partnership’s main goals is to educate decision makers, citizens and the building community on ways to increase the availability of affordable housing for local workers.