Free Fee -Waived Plans For Backyard Tiny Home
In 2016, the city of Clovis, California, launched an initiative to transform underutilized alleyway space into “backyard cottages” as a unique solution to the Old Town neighborhood’s affordable housing crisis.
This year, the Cottage Home Program won an APA silver achievement award and is now expanding outside of Old Town Clovis to residents throughout the entire city.
The program offers three plan options to qualifying property owners free of charge.
Each cottage home measures less than 450 square feet and is designed to accommodate a variety of elevation levels and property configurations. The success of the first 10 completed cottage homes has revitalized the alleys in which they were built, created a unique pedestrian street environment, and provided one more path to relieving the city-wide housing crisis.
Watch the video, and learn more about the expanding Cottage Home Program.
Cottage Home Program
The City of Clovis – Cottage Home Program is a national award-winning program that offers residents an opportunity to construct one of the three streamlined plans on their property with a rear yard facing an alley.
The program was originally created to encourage infill residential development in the Old Town Clovis area, where many properties have access to alleys. Due to its early success, the Cottage Home Program has been made available to qualifying properties citywide (see map).
Three (3) plans, provided FREE of charge, have been developed to fit a variety of property configurations. The cottage homes, each less than 500 square feet in size, are intended to face onto alleys to promote revitalization while providing a unique pedestrian street environment and creating more housing in the highly desirable City of Clovis.
To date, there are 11 completed cottage homes and 4 issued permits.
Requirements:
- Property must be located in Clovis city limits (see map) and must have access to an alley.
- Property must be zoned R-1 (Single-Family Residential).
- Cottage Home will be owned by the property owner.
- Property must have adequate space to accommodate the unit and its one required parking space (10′ x 20′).
- Cottage Home must have access to utilities.
Process:
- Preliminary meeting to see if property qualifies for the Cottage Home Program.
- On-site meeting to evaluate property and to determine the best layout of the Cottage Home.
- A Cottage Home Program Application Packet will be provided (or can be downloaded here) to the property owner with all the required submittal forms.
- Permits will be issued approximately 10 business days after the packet has been submitted.
Downloadable Documents
ClovisADU_Flyer2020: ADU Loan Program