ADU Pitchfest in Raleigh
In a push for more affordable housing, Raleigh hosts its first-ever ideation competition.
Written By Kyle MacLellan
The City of Raleigh and its Office of Strategy and Innovation is seeking to further its public-private partnerships. The latest effort was an ADU Pitchfest, which occurred in Downtown Raleigh.At the event, four teams pitched their plans to develop more accessory dwelling units (ADUs). The judging panel—consisting of Sarah Kirk, Dan Bagley, Nyki Hill and Dhanya Sandeep—assessed the feasibility, creativity, and overall impact of each plan.
In the end, the winning team earned $5,000 from the Kauffman Foundation, and a partnership commitment from the city to assist in the implementation of its plan. Several intriguing pitches with varied approaches were shown during the event.
Jenn Truman and Rob Baumgart of American Dream Unlocked Consulting (ADU Co) pitched their “matchmaking and management” service. Consciously seeking to keep Raleigh’s diversity, equity, and inclusion measures at the forefront, their startup seeks to consult with homeowners and match them with compatible renters. They take inspiration from companies across the nation such as Dweller in Portland, Oregon, and Studio-Shed in Boulder, Colorado. The ADU Co Team is currently constructing multiple ADUs in the Raleigh area.
Dexter Tillet of DEXFT and Tiny Homes Raleigh proposed to provide consultation to homeowners for the construction and property management of their ADUs. His pitch centered around incentivizing homeowners with cash bonuses for installing an ADU. While ADUs are seen as a means of creating affordable housing, Tillet says “affordability is relative.” DEXFT plans to build first, then talk about affordability. Naturally, the more stock you have, the lower the prices will be.
Joe Trapp of Third Estate Analytics explained their pitch for easy-to-access automations that inform homeowners of their potential to build and own an ADU. The team utilizes its nonprofit partners and data analytics to catalyze the building and management process of having such a unit. The group operates under an impact-based fees system, meaning if they are unsuccessful, they don’t get paid. The program can be run without an initial investment pool and would enable the city to reach out to property owners who are not Raleigh residents.
CollabADU’s Shaun Smith and Rhett Fussell presented their team’s one-stop-shop plan to build and manage ADUs. Operating under a land lease between their organization and homeowners, the group plans to use kit homes to save on construction costs. The pair acknowledged that “no one can do it by themselves” and shared their goals of partnership, uplifting underrepresented communities, and constructing quality affordable housing.
Raleigh urban design supervisor and judge Dhanya Sandeep stated that “affordable housing has been a constant challenge,” which is no surprise with the amount of growth the Triangle has seen in recent years. For Sandeep, the most important aspects of ADU development are increasing the general housing supply, creating gentle density, and designing with quality.
The City of Raleigh Strategy and Innovation office’s Senior Manager Heather McDougall pushed their core values of thinking boldly, working collaboratively, empowering others and fostering impact. Operating from a co-creation model, the office’s job is to “foster and spotlight innovation that’s already going on within the city.”
Considering innovation as a cross between people and ideas, McDougall asked Raleigh’s community to “come help [them] think boldly.”
CollabADU was the winner of the Judge’s and People’s Choice awards. They will now be able to implement their pilot program and develop four ADUs of varied floor plans across different parts of the city. One of these homes will be in association with a nonprofit partner to kickstart potential training and residential programs in the future.
The Pitchfest was a major success, perhaps a model for more collaboration between public and private entities in the Raleigh area.
Kyle MacLellan is Southern Urbanism’s Journalism Fellow for Summer 2023.