Dive Brief:
- New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani last week launched an ADU for You website, which features a comprehensive guide to building an ancillary dwelling unit in the city, as well as pre-approved ADU designs and cost-estimating tools.
- The city is also reopening applications for its dormant Plus One ADU program, which offers financial assistance of up to $395,000 for qualifying homeowners to add an ADU.
- “One of the solutions to the housing crisis can be found in our backyards, our attics, or our basements – in an Ancillary Dwelling Unit,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a news release.
Dive Insight:
As cities and states struggle with housing shortages, many are turning to ADUs — sometimes called cottage houses, coach houses or granny flats — as one solution. These smaller additional housing units are located on the same lot as the primary home, often the backyard or basement.
New York City permitted the use and creation of ADUs in December 2024 for one- and two-family homes, allowing homeowners to establish ADUs in attics, basements and cellars, as well as in free-standing buildings or connected additions. The goal was to add housing options in low-density areas.
“New York City doesn’t just need more housing — it needs more kinds of housing, at a wider range of price points,” Howard Slatkin, executive director of Citizens Housing and Planning Council, said in a news release. “ADUs help fill in gaps in our housing stock, to the benefit of both renters and homeowners.”
To streamline the permitting process, the city’s ADU design library features 11 ADU designs that have been reviewed and approved by the NYC Department of Buildings, which plans to expand its pre-approved catalogue.
“By making it easier for New Yorkers to turn their homes into an extra place for a loved one or a little more income, we're allowing our city to grow while keeping the character of the neighborhoods we love,” Mamdani said.
