More Salemites are getting permits to build second homes a short walk away from their back door than ever before.
It’s a trend city planners say could help alleviate the city’s housing shortage by giving renters more options.
As of November, owners of 54 properties have applied for a permit to build an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, a separate living space like a “mother-in-law” cottage or basement apartment with its own entrance, kitchen and bathroom. That’s four more than the previous peak in 2020, and more than double the number of permits filed last year.
Eunice Kim, the city’s long range planning manager, said a potential explanation for the boost in permits is that more developers are incorporating ADUs into their initial building plans, such as a new single-family home in a subdivision adding a backyard unit.
The city first adopted its ADU code in 2017. Kim said it was made to be more accommodating than most other cities at the time, allowing a larger maximum size of up to 900 square feet. The state has since applied standards such as not requiring parking, which Salem already had in place.
The code was part of the city’s plan to address a shortage of affordable housing after its 2014 housing needs analysis, which found that the city would need over 23,000 more units by 2035 to address an expected population increase of 60,000 people.
“That essentially told us that we have a great need for homes that are multifamily, more affordable, just kind of a broader range of housing beyond just your single family detached housing,” Kim said.
The apartments can’t be used for short-term rentals like Airbnb, which she said would take them out of the housing stock where they are more needed.
Kim said ADUs were a way to start chipping away at the need, and a way for homeowners to have another source of income or allow relatives to stay with them.
In October, the city introduced free ready-build plans to try to make the process easier for homeowners with complete designs and instructions on how to navigate zoning and permitting. in an attempt to make building ADUs quicker and more accessible. They recently translated the instructions into Spanish.
As of early December no one had used the plans, Kim said, but they’ve been getting a lot of calls from interested people who want to learn more.
“The idea was that the ready-build plans would make ADUs more accessible to your everyday property owner who maybe doesn’t typically do this type of work. So it’s kind of lowering those barriers,” she said.
The ready-build plans were developed with the help of Lauren Meekins, who interned for the city through Willamette University over the summer. Kim said the city had thought about adding ready-build plans for years, but having Meekins gave them the capacity to get it done.
Meekins researched ADU ready-build programs in other Oregon cities, especially Eugene which shared its designs and experience for Salem to build off of.
Something they learned from Eugene is that even with ready-build plans, builders like having options to personalize ADUs.
“Even being able to change the roof option or design it to people’s needs is a great start,” Meekins said.
They said helping to develop the plans was a great learning experience, and ADUs are a great first step in solutions for homelessness in Salem.
“I don’t think that this is the end. I think it’s the very beginning,” they said.
Kim said she thinks it’s wonderful to have multiple housing options in the community.
“The more we see different housing types, the more we are meeting the diversity of housing needs in the community. And that’s really been our goal,” she said.
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251.
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Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
