Deschutes County commissioners OK new rural accessory dwelling unit program: Will it help ease housing crunch?

(Update: adding video, comment from Commissioner Adair, Bend YIMBY, County Planner Kyle Collins)

Not all properties eligible for ADUs; additional development standards set

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Starting Dec. 1, owners of eligible properties can apply for rural Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) permits through Deschutes County Community Development. And some officials believe it could make a big dent in the issue of the supply of affordable housing.

Deschutes County Commissioner Patti Adair has been working on regulations for rural ADUs for five years,

“We can possibly have up to 10,000 (ADUs) eventually, when this program is in full swing,” Adair said Monday.

Last Wednesday, commissioners approved new rules to allow ADUs in certain unincorporated areas of Deschutes County after considering public feedback and recommendations from the county Planning Commission.

County Associate Planner Kyle Collins said, "It also only applies to what are described as rural residential exception areas. So there are five different zoning designations and Deschutes County that these all apply for. So you can think of your Rural Residential Zones, your Multiple Use Agricultural zones, but it doesn't apply to resource-zoned properties. so Exclusive Farm Use or Forest-zoned properties are not eligible for rural aid.”

Collins continued, "There are thousands of properties that could potentially qualify just based on those those initial zoning standards. Some property owners may see it as an obvious opportunity that they want to jump on quickly. Others may decide not to, or at least to to hold off until some future point.”

Adair believes it will make a big impact on the housing in the county.

"I didn't want to give up on this project, because I felt like it is such an opportunity," she said. "We are always looking for more housing in Deschutes County. It's so hard to find, and I feel like this is a really good way to go.”

But Bend YIMBY, a housing advocacy group, believes that adding rural ADU's won’t have much of an impact.

The group's David Welton said, “I suspect that probably we're not going to see too many of them. Like I said, you know, it's quite a win for individual property owners that want one to do something a little bit extra. I don't see it moving the needle on our housing crisis a lot, though.”

Here's the information distributed by the county on the new rules:

Not all properties will be eligible for ADUs. Based on state and local ordinances, rural ADUs are subject to additional development standards, compared to typical residential projects.

To qualify for an ADU:

• The property must be located in a rural residential zoned area (*RR10, MUA10, UAR10, SR 2 1/2, & WTZ Zones)
• In most unincorporated areas of the County, the property must be at least two acres. In Southern Deschutes County, the property must be at least five acres.
• The ADU is limited to 900 square feet of useable floor space (*excludes attached garage areas, porches, and decks)
• The ADU must be located within 100 feet from the primary dwelling
• The ADU must comply with all applicable state laws relating to water supply, sanitation and wastewater disposal

For a full list of zoning standards and permitting requirements, visit: www.deschutes.org/adu.

On Thursday, Nov. 30, staff will host a public information session for anyone who is interested in learning more about rural ADUs. The session will be held in the Barnes and Sawyer Room of the Deschutes Services Center, 1300 NW Wall Street, in Bend from 3-4 p.m.

The session will be held in person, with an option to attend virtually as well. Please RSVP at the following link if you wish to attend in-person, as there will be limited space available: https://DeschutesCountyADUInfo.eventbrite.com

If you have general questions concerning ADU development, please contact the Deschutes County Planning Division:

Phone: 541-388-6560

Email: planning@deschutes.org