The City of Grand Junction is hosting workshop events for community members to attend and learn more about the process of building an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU). The first workshop will be April 10, 5:30 p.m., in the Fire Station Administration training room at 625 Ute Ave.

ADUs are smaller independent living spaces on the same lot as a single-family home and can be attached to the home itself or be separate structures on the property. The city allows a single-family home to have up to two ADUs on a property. The two-hour ADU workshops are structured to review information about design, permitting and construction of an ADU. Quarterly workshop dates are available on a first-come-first-served basis. All workshops are free, but participants must register online.

“The workshops were created as one of the city’s housing strategies and encourages the development of ADUs in Grand Junction,” Housing Division Manager Ashley Chambers said. “By educating community members on the benefits of ADUs and assisting them with resources to construct ADUs, more ADUs are being built, increasing the number of housing alternatives available in Grand Junction.”

In March 2023 the city adopted an ordinance that established an ADU Production Program to incentivize and support the construction of ADUs. The program offers two tiers of incentives to ADU Developers who commit to providing a long-term rental for at least five years. Applicants who are approved for the ADU Production Program are eligible for impact fees to be paid for by the city (tier one) as well as tier two applicants who have a household income of less than 140 percent Area Median Income (AMI) and who live on-site, are eligible for additional cash incentives.

For information about ADU workshops or to register, call the Housing Division at 970-256-4081, email housing@gjcity.org or visit gjcity.org/housing.