KINGSTON, NY - Ulster County, in partnership with the City of Kingston and RUPCO under the Plus One Home Program, is pleased to announce the launch of the Say Yes to ADUs! Accessory Dwelling Unit Design Competition. The competition aims to combat the pressing issue of affordable housing scarcity throughout the region. Proposal submissions are now open until August 15, 2023.
The competition invites participants to submit permit-ready construction plans for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) to help alleviate the housing shortage and provide affordable housing choices for Ulster County residents. By encouraging the development of practical and cost-effective ADU designs, the competition seeks to inspire creative solutions.
"This program is a unique opportunity for the public and private sectors to work together to address the shortage of affordable housing in Ulster County,” said Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger. “We hope the competition will catalyze innovative approaches to building cost-effective accessory dwelling units and educate and inspire homeowners to consider their role in helping provide more housing for our neighbors, young and old. I encourage all interested individuals and teams to participate in this competition, and I look forward to seeing the creativity and talent that will emerge from this collaboration.”
Participants in the Professional category must be New-York based teams with a New York architectural license or a partnership between a national architect and a New York-based architect with a state architecture license. Non-Professional/Student entries are also welcome. The award for Professional entries is $25,000, which is the final payment for producing construction-ready documents in coordination with the City of Kingston for the new detached ADU. Non-Professional/Student entries have the opportunity to win a $3,000 prize for the best overall new detached ADU design.
All proposals will be evaluated by a committee of Project Team representatives based on sustainability and resilience, affordability and cost-effectiveness, accessibility and universal design, innovation and creativity, as well as aesthetics and contextual integration. Minority and women-owned business enterprises are strongly encouraged to submit design proposals.
Interested participants are requested to submit their proposals by August 15, 2023. A Design Competition Public Forum will be held on June 15, 2023, to engage the community and provide valuable information about ADUs and the Plus One Home Program. The winners of the competition will be announced on September 15, 2023.
For more information about the Plus One Home Program and the Accessory Dwelling Unit Design Competition, please visit https://engagekingston.com/adu-design-competition. If you are planning to submit a design, please fill out an Interest Form survey at https://engagekingston.com/embeds/projects/19722/survey-tools/17140.
The Plus One Home Program is a partnership between Ulster County, the City of Kingston, and RUPCO, with funds being made available by New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation.
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