ADU Program Provides Housing Affordability, Flexibility, and Stability
Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver is proud to be the construction partner for the Single Family + ADU (SF+ ADU) Program with the Denver Housing Authority. The program helps existing homeowners to plan, price, design, finance, and build an ADU on their residential property, and then rent the ADU affordably.
In 2019, the West Denver Renaissance Collaborative (WDRC) launched the WDSF+ ADU pilot program in collaboration with the Denver Housing Authority (DHA) and a robust network of partners. Habitat Metro Denver acts as the construction partner.
Les UAD sont un moyen pour Habitat et ses partenaires de fournir des logements abordables supplémentaires sur notre marché concurrentiel et d'éviter la surpopulation et l'instabilité pour les propriétaires existants.
Photo above: Colorado Governor Jared Polis visited the home of ADU homeowner, Yoseph, in fall of 2023 to learn more about the program benefits.
Comment fonctionne le programme ?
- Meeting a need in specific neighborhoods: Habitat Metro Denver, alongside the other program partners, has focused its ADU construction in nine west Denver neighborhoods that are impacted by gentrification and residential destabilization. The program recently expanded to include all of Denver, since ADUs are now allowed citywide.
- Finding homeowners: WDRC finds and qualifies homeowners who have a large enough lot to accommodate an ADU, and have interest in the program.
- Ensure site infrastructure: Habitat Metro Denver collaborates with partners to ensure each lot can accommodate the infrastructure needed for an ADU (i.e. water, power, sewer).
- ADU construction: Habitat Metro Denver builds the ADUs, using seven low-cost ADU designs that have been approved by city building regulators and can be used by anyone in the Denver Housing Authority program, saving architecture and permitting fees. Habitat Metro Denver and The American Institute of Architects designed the floor plans, which range in size from a studio to a three-bedroom ADU.
- Provide financial support: The Denver Housing Authority and other partners support homeowners with financial counseling and support to fund their ADU project. Other local lenders are also helping to innovate ADU financing.
Comment le programme profite-t-il à la communauté de Denver ?
- Fournir des logements abordables pour les familles à revenus faibles ou modérés (LMI)
- Création d'unités de logement supplémentaires et abordables au sein de lots résidentiels existants.
- Elle offre aux propriétaires de longue date la possibilité de loger les membres de leur famille élargie, ce qui assure la stabilité des propriétaires et permet aux résidents plus âgés de vieillir sur place.
- Générer un revenu supplémentaire pour les propriétaires qui les aide à couvrir les dépenses imprévues liées au logement et à payer les taxes foncières, ce qui peut être difficile pour ceux qui vivent avec des revenus limités.
- Assure la sécurité du logement, tant pour le propriétaire que pour le locataire.
- Préservation des habitations existantes et ajout de logements abordables en accord avec le caractère du quartier.
Policy Wins: State and City Action on ADUs
State of Colorado
- 2024 – House Bill 24-1152 (signed May 2024): Requires cities (1,000+ residents, in MPOs) to allow one 500–800 ft² ADU per single-family lot. Eliminates off-street parking mandates, owner-occupancy restrictions, and HOA bans under the Colorado Common Interest Ownership Act (CCIOA)—voiding them by June 30, 2025.
- July 2025 – House Bill 24-1007: Updates occupancy limits, enabling greater use of ADUs statewide.
- State support: Up to $8 million appropriated for low- and moderate-income homeowner loans and down-payment assistance.
City and County of Denver
City & County of Denver
- June 2023: Council passed zoning-code changes to streamline ADU construction—allowing two-story ADUs in urban areas, removing conversion barriers for existing structures, and extending parking exemptions.
- Nov 2024 – File 24-1302 & Council ordinance: Denver approved citywide ADU allowance across all residential zones; the bill went into effect in 2025.
ADU Homeowner Stories
Construire un avenir radieux pour leur famille en ajoutant une dépendance
11 Sep, 2024
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ADU Program Featured on Colorado Housing Finance Authority’s Podcast:
CHFA: The Buildout: A CHFA Podcast
Season Two – Episode Five | Small But Mighty: How ADUs Are Increasing Housing Supply
Until 2025, where you lived in Colorado determined whether or not you could build an accessory dwelling unit or ADU. But a new law sponsored by Senator Judy Amabile has changed that. Now, it’s easier than ever to build a little granny flat out back. When it comes to bridging Colorado’s housing supply gap, each and every ADU adds up.
In Denver, Renee Martinez-Stone with the Denver Housing Authority has helped homeowners to build ADUs through a partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver. ADUs not only offset costs for homeowners, but also provide lower rents, allowing longtime residents to stay put. Jaime Gomez, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver, explains how these flexible units are disrupting displacement and becoming a valuable tool to address Colorado’s housing crisis.
Resources from this episode:
Nous avons besoin d'un financement et d'un soutien continus de la part des municipalités locales et de nos partenaires afin de construire des UAD à un prix abordable et de les rendre abordables pour les propriétaires qui souhaitent construire des UAD sur leur terrain.
Thank you to these partners for their work on the Single Family + ADU (SF+ ADU) Program
Pour en savoir plus et lire des articles sur le programme :
- Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Toolkit
- ADU Stories — West Denver Renaissance Collaborative
- “This completed ADU shows West Denver residents that they too can build generational wealth” – Denverite, 2022
- Green Mountain High School Partners to Build Habtat Denver’s First ADU
- Granny flats expand in west Denver. What about the rest of the city? – Denverite, 2020
- Does affordable housing end at the sidewalk? A west Denver project is figuring that out – Denverite, 2020
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