North Coast Housing Action Team Second Unit Workshop

On October 25, 2018, the North Coast Housing Action Team, in collaboration with the City of Fort Bragg and Mendocino County, led a Second Unit Workshop for the coastal community. The North Coast Housing Action Team (HAT) of Mendocino County is a group of volunteers working to achieve an adequate supply of safe, decent housing for coastal residents between Westport and Navarro Bridge. HAT is a part of Healthy Mendocino, a countywide organization working to improve quality of life in Mendocino County by supporting informed dialogue about the actions local residents and organizations can take to improve community health.

Over 178 residents attended the workshop with standing room only at the Fort Bragg Town Hall. The workshop was designed to support the goals of the Housing Action Team to create safe, decent and affordable housing on the Mendocino Coast; encourage City and County policy makers to meet the demand for housing; and engage and inform the community about housing needs, challenges and opportunities.

Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), also called granny units, alley houses, or second units, exist on a lot with another house and can be either attached or detached. ADUs can also be built on any size residential lot. The benefits of ADUs and how they can offer a solution to the housing crisis is by allowing people to age in-place, generate extra income for property owners, and create affordable housing for community members.

Two panels of 9 presenters shared information on building second units on the coast. These presenters included:

• Marie Jones, Community Development Director, City of Fort Bragg: regulations, site requirements and free architectural plans
• Dan Gjerde, Mendocino County Supervisor: New Opportunities to Build Second Units 
• Mike Olephant, Mendocino County Chief Building Inspector: County Regulations and Site Requirements
• Cynthia Sharon, Dancing Dog Design Build: Selecting a Contractor, Construction Options & Process
• Jennifer Tyler, Loan Officer, Savings Bank and Phillip Jago, Mortgage Broker: How to Finance Your Project
• Larry Flores, Certified Public Accountant: Tax Implications
• Steve O’Mara, West Company Business Development Center Advisor: Revenues, Expenses and the Business of Renting
• Megan Durbin, President, Coastal Mendocino Association of Realtors: Effect on Property Values

The panel presented information on:

• ADU Basics: what’s an ADU and why would you want to build one
• ADU Specifics: kinds of ADUs; City and County regulations; planning process; construction options; building and site requirements; constraints and opportunities
• ADU Economics and Responsibilities: financing; tax ramifications; income potential; landlord responsibilities; impact on property value; and ADU owner experiences

This workshop was promoted in local newspapers, on local radio stations, and also on the City of Fort Bragg’s website and local television.

View the Power Point Presentation HERE.

View a YouTube video of the workshop HERE.

Dan Gjerde, Fourth District County Supervisor, wrote an article on housing options from the county, view HERE.