Supervisor Gordon Mar Participates in First Home Feasibility Assessment for ADU Program

Program supports Sunset District homeowners to build accessory dwelling (“in-law”) units

On Friday, Sept. 10, District 4 Supervisor Gordon Mar, in partnership with the Planning Department and Asian Inc., launched the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Incentives Pilot Program for Sunset homeowners, with the first home feasibility assessment taking place at the home of Sunset resident Caier He. 

The goal of the ADU Incentives Pilot Program is to assess the potential for ADUs to serve as a stable, affordable source of housing in San Francisco. The program is open to District 4 property owners interested in adding ADUs, which are also called secondary units, in‑law units, or cottages. Qualified applicants receive a professional at-home no-cost assessment of the potential to add an ADU on their property. After the assessment, Asian Inc. provides additional resources and assistance regarding the process to homeowners. 

“We’ve heard from homeowners all over the Sunset that they want to add more housing units, but there are many barriers to even begin the process, including the need for technical assistance and financial assistance,” said Supervisor Mar. “The Sunset pilot program eliminates barriers for homeowners to take the very first step, and our plan is to expand the program so homeowners can successfully build new housing to meet the city’s housing needs, for renters and growing multigenerational families.”

“ASIAN Inc. is very excited to launch this program to support housing development, and especially creating opportunities for Asian Americans, where there are barriers like language, access to culturally responsive services, and access to loans,” said Lamar Heystek, President of Asian Inc. “Expanding ADUs in the city helps meet the housing needs for homeowner families, tenants and seniors, and supports our local economy and local jobs.”

“I grew up in our Sunset house in the last decade and now our needs are changing, for us as adult children and our aging parents. We had so many questions about how to use the space and didn’t know where to start,” said Sunset resident Caier He who received the home feasibility assessment. “This program is really beneficial for us to understand our ADU options, either to provide rental housing or have our grandparents move in. It would be great to provide more resources for homeowners so we can provide more housing for people.”

To learn more about the ADU Incentives Pilot Program, visit www.asianinc.org/housing/adu/.