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Novato Approves Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (JADUs)
A significant affordable housing ordinance that will allow homeowners to create small second units simply and with minimal permit cost was unanimously approved on December 9 by the Novato City Council and will go into effect in January 2015. Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (JADUs), which are created by repurposing spare bedrooms into private apartments, will not require the addition of a parking space or fire sprinklers, making creation of a small accessory unit feasible and affordable for many Novato homeowners.
Prior to the passage of the JADU ordinance, the repurposing of a bedroom into a separate unit within an existing residence was subject to the same requirements and cost-prohibitive permitting fees as other Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), which might be created by converting unused attic space, or by constructing a backyard cottage. JADUs, however, do not affect the classification of the house as a single family home, because the door between the home and the JADU remains, but can be locked from both sides.
JADUs do not increase density, as the living and sleeping capacity of a home does not change. The requirements for water and energy, the need for parking, and the impact on local roads have all already been accounted for in the original permit for the home. All that is needed to create a JADU is a bar sink, standard electrical outlets to accommodate small kitchen appliances, access to a bathroom, and an exterior entrance.
Other towns and cities in Marin County are considering implementing ordinances similar to the Novato JADU ordinance and some have included junior unit programs in their 2015-2023 Housing Element Drafts, proposing that junior units be used over the upcoming years to help meet assigned affordable housing unit targets (Regional Housing Needs Allocation - RHNA). Staff members from the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) have confirmed that JADUs with private bathrooms will count towards RHNA, while JADUs with shard baths will not.
It's significant to note that the approval of a JADU still falls under the same planning commission and design review requirements, and the associated public notices and public hearings and zoning administrative review as any other kind of residential permit. A JADU is not "by right" or automatic. So in instances where parking or traffic impacts are significant issues, it can be denied.