2023 Plus One ADU Home Program Eligibility

Property Owner Household Income Limits

All applicants must comply with the income limits below, and if selected, property owners must agree not to use units as short-term rentals and keep rents at an affordable rate for a minimum of 10 years. Affordable rental maximums are included in the program application package.

(Eligibility is based on 2024 income levels and is subject to change annually)

Other terms and conditions may apply.

To apply:

Applications can be found on the RUPCO website, here: https://rupco.org/plusone

Application Criteria and Scoring Process

Applicants must meet all these criteria to be considered for the grant:

Zoning

• Accessory Dwelling Units (or variations of this terminology e.g., accessory apartments) must be permitted by-right or through a special use permit in the zoning district where the applicant’s property is located.
• The applicant’s property cannot have any zoning code violations.

Building and Setbacks

• The applicant’s property must be big enough to meet all building and setback requirements for ADUs/Accessory Apartments for the municipality in which the property is located.

Household Eligibility and Demonstrated Need

• Income Eligible: The applicant must demonstrate that their total household income is at or below 100% of the Ulster County Area Median Income (adjusted for household size).
• Demonstrated Need: The applicant must demonstrate that they would not be able to finance the development of an ADU without the grant (e.g., lack of personal savings).
• Primary Residence: The applicant must demonstrate the property that the ADU will be built on is the applicant’s primary residence and the applicant has ownership of the property.
• Not Additional Rentals: The applicant must demonstrate there are no other rental units on the property
• Affordable Rental for 10 Years: Applicants agree to rent the unit at an affordable rate (i.e., households earning up to 80% of Ulster County Area Median Income and rented at or below Fair Market Rent)
• No Short-Term Rentals: The applicant must agree to not use the ADU as a short-term rental for the 10-year affordability period.

Participating Communities

• Your property must be located in one of the following Ulster County municipalities: the City of Kingston, Towns of Lloyd, Rosendale, Saugerties, Ulster, Woodstock, and Villages of Ellenville and New Paltz.

Applicant Supplemental Scoring

All applicants that meet the Minimum Criteria will then be scored based on the feasibility and cost of constructing an ADU on their property as well as their narrative description about their intended use for the property. Applicants can receive a total of 50 points. See application for details.

Project Narrative (2-10 Points Total)

The applicants will provide a narrative of their vision for the ADU and about the specific need the grant and supplemental income would fill. This will be the only subjective scoring criteria for the application where Selection Committee representatives will score based on:

Project Narrative: Description of Envisioned Project (1-5 Points)

The applicant should provide a written narrative (500-word max) of their vision for the use of the ADU (e.g., providing an affordable rental property, providing needed student housing, helping current or formerly unhoused persons). The applicant should include a description of how their proposed ADU project is both feasible and using grant funding cost-effectively (i.e., units that could be built under the $125,000 limit or for much less).

Project Narrative: Specific Need (1-5 Points)

The homeowner should provide a written narrative (500-word max) about the specific need the grant and supplemental income from the ADU would fill for them.

Water and Sewer (5-10 Points)

• If the applicant’s property is located within a sewer district, they will receive 5 points.
• If the applicant’s property is located within a water district, they will receive 5 points.

Projects that are located near public transportation (5 Points)

• If the applicant’s property is located within ¼ mile of a public transit (UCAT) route, the property will be given 5 points.

Additional Affordability (20 Points)

The maximum allowable rents for the ADU affordability period (ten years) is 30% of monthly income for a household making up to 80% of Ulster County AMI or Fair Market Rent, whichever is less. If the homeowner commits to targeting a lower income bracket (i.e., 30% of monthly income for a household making 60% of AMI households or lower), they will be granted 20 points.