Massachusetts is opening a new pathway for homeowners who have been considering an in-law suite, a backyard cottage, or a basement apartment but have not known how to get started.
The Healey-Driscoll Administration has launched the first phase of a statewide program intended to help turn those ideas into actual homes.
What’s happening?
According to the Healey-Driscoll Administration, the new Accessory Dwelling Unit Incentive Program will provide information and support for homeowners weighing whether to add an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, to their property, as reported by Boston Agent Magazine.
An ADU can be a family suite, a small detached home, a finished basement unit, or another separate structure on the property.
In the program’s first phase, homeowners who want to participate can receive feasibility studies covering local permitting rules, property conditions, utility needs, early design options, and general cost ranges.
Those studies are being made available through a partnership between the Massachusetts Housing Partnership and the state’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
Rachel Heller, executive director of the partnership, said the program is intended to make the process easier for families interested in adding a smaller home to their property.
“A feasibility study gives a family an objective, professional assessment of what is possible on their property, what it may cost and what hurdles need to be addressed before they invest significant time and money,” Heller said.
Why does it matter?
Massachusetts is facing a tight housing market, and ADUs are one of the fastest ways to add more homes without waiting for large-scale developments.
ADUs can grow the housing supply because they go on lots that already have land and infrastructure in place.
An ADU can provide living space for a family member, a caregiver, or a renter.
Uncertainty about zoning, utility connections, design, and cost can keep a project from moving forward before it even begins.
Gov. Maura Healey said in a press release, “Massachusetts needs to build more homes, and ADUs are one of the fastest ways to create new housing in communities across our state.”
What’s being done?
The state is starting with the front end of the process by helping homeowners figure out whether an ADU can be built on their property at all.
Healey said the effort also builds on the state’s Affordable Homes Act, which made ADUs easier to build and helped generate strong interest from homeowners.
As Heller put it, “Homeowners are excited about ADUs, but many do not know where to start.”
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