KINGSTON, N.Y. – Construction designs are ready for property owners in the city seeking to add an accessory dwelling unit, according to Mayor Steve Noble.
The design by DEMO Architecture, the firm that won Kingston’s “Yes to ADUs!” competition, has been pre-approved by the Kingston Building Department and is now available for public use, a press release said.
The announcement said that Kingston property owners can use the construction documents, available at bit.ly/KADUpdf24, to obtain building permits to construct new, detached accessory dwelling units.
“With our new zoning code, one of the big changes was allowing ADUs citywide, a concept that has been proven to benefit communities by adding much-needed affordable housing, creating density and diversifying housing type,” Noble said in a statement. “We are pleased to provide Demo’s winning design free to homeowners in Kingston who wish to move forward with building an ADU on their property.”
Bartek Starodaj, director of Housing Initiatives, said that the effort is unique in the city.
“I’m pleased that for the first time, the City of Kingston has pre-approved accessory dwelling unit plans that anyone looking to construct new detached ADUs can use,” Starodaj said in a statement. “By pre-approving code compliant ADU Plans, we hope to reduce the costs and uncertainty for these property owners and to expedite the permitting process.”
The design contest runner up was Plus One by Andrade Architecture, and a $3,000 award for the best non-professional/student design went to Part & Parcel by Rafael Cruz. The competition was funded through the American Rescue Plan Act and is part of the Plus One Home Program, a partnership between Kingston, Ulster County and RUPCO.
The Plus One Home Program provides funding to low- and moderate-income residents to create new code-compliant ADUs.
