The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced the launch of Phase One of a statewide Accessory Dwelling Unit Incentive Program that will help homeowners determine whether building an ADU is right for their property, another step in the administration’s effort to lower housing costs and increase housing production across Massachusetts.  

The Program, administered by the Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP) in collaboration with the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (HLC) and previously announced by Governor Maura Healey, is designed to help homeowners access professional feasibility studies to better determine if an ADU project is right for them, including understanding site conditions, local permitting requirements, utility needs, preliminary design options and high-level cost estimates before investing significant time and resources in an ADU project.

An ADU is a small residential living space located on the same lot as another home. ADUs can be inside an existing home, such as a converted basement apartment, attached to a primary residence as an addition or completely detached, such as a cottage or converted garage in a backyard. They can provide flexible housing options for families, caregivers, renters and communities.

MHP has created a directory of professional feasibility study providers to help homeowners across the state understand whether an ADU is feasible on their property and what would be involved if they choose to construct one. Feasibility studies will generally assess site conditions and constraints, local zoning and permitting considerations, utilities, preliminary design considerations and high-level cost and budget feasibility.

Participation in a feasibility study does not obligate the homeowner to build an ADU, nor does it obligate the homeowner to use the chosen feasibility study provider for any additional services.

MHP will use information from the feasibility studies to guide future phases of the ADU Incentive Program and identify ways to make it easier for homeowners to build ADUs. The findings will help inform future zoning guidance, financing tools, infrastructure investments and technical assistance.

In addition to the MHP Accessory Dwelling Unit Incentive Program, HLC launched the ADU Design Challenge to develop publicly available, replicable ADU designs that homeowners and communities can use at no cost. Homeowners can also use the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s ADU Resource Center to look up their property, explore where an ADU could be placed on the lot and review other early planning considerations before starting a feasibility study. The administration has committed $10 million over two years to support MHP’s statewide ADU work, and MassHousing has launched a program offering low-cost ADU construction financing to low- and moderate-income homeowners