Meredith Boericke
Across Massachusetts, interest in building accessory dwelling units is gaining momentum. These small backyard cottages, basement apartments or attached flats can house aging parents, adult children, caretakers or renters.
ADUs offer a unique opportunity to create new homes that are more affordable, modest in scale, and seamlessly integrated into existing neighborhoods. Yet for many homeowners, turning that idea into reality can feel confusing and risky.
Even with the Zoning Act amendments included in the Affordable Homes Act allowing ADUs up to 900 square feet to be built by right in single-family zoning districts, homeowners considering an ADU quickly encounter a thicket of questions: What type of ADU will fit on my property? What local zoning provisions must I be aware of? Can my water, sewer, or electrical systems support another home? What fire safety codes will I need to follow? Will I need sprinklers? How much might it actually cost?
Overwhelmed and without clear answers, many homeowners may simply walk away.
To close this gap, Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP) will be launching our ADU Incentive Program later this spring. At its core is a simple idea: Homeowners need clarity, reliability and professional guidance before they invest time, money or emotional energy into a project.
Elliot Schmiedl
Why Feasibility Studies Matter
Our ADU Incentive Program will support homeowners in obtaining professional feasibility studies, providing an objective assessment of whether an ADU is possible on a specific property, how much it might cost and what hurdles may need to be addressed to go from idea to reality.
A professional feasibility study does more than confirm that an ADU could work in theory. It highlights the unique possibilities that each property offers and, equally important, the real-world constraints that often derail projects.
Local zoning rules may still create obstacles despite recent statewide reforms. Utility upgrades may add unexpected costs. Site access, grading, wetlands or historic district requirements may complicate construction; and budget assumptions, particularly in a volatile construction market, may need to be recalibrated early.
Identifying these issues upfront allows homeowners to make informed decisions, saving time and avoid costly missteps.
For homeowners, feasibility studies can help families decide whether to move forward, revise their plans or step back without regret. For those who do proceed, the study becomes a roadmap, pointing to the next steps needed to navigate permitting, design, construction and financing. For those who choose to wait, the study prevents sunk costs and can be revisited in the future. Either outcome is a success, because decisions are based on facts rather than guesswork.
Incentive Program Will ID Policy Gaps
The benefits of MHP’s new ADU Incentive Program extend beyond individual households.
As feasibility studies are completed across hundreds of properties statewide, they will generate something equally important: data. Collectively, these studies will reveal patterns about what is working well and should be replicated, and what is truly standing in the way of unlocking ADU production in Massachusetts.
Instead of relying on anecdotes or assumptions, MHP will be able to examine real, parcel‑level information by analyzing completed feasibility studies.
Where are local zoning rules still inconsistent with state law? How often do utility constraints pose a barrier, and in which regions? What price points cause projects to stall? How do outcomes differ between rural, suburban and urban communities?
This type of evidence is essential for designing effective housing policy.
The Next Step for ADUs
The insights gathered from hundreds of feasibility studies can inform targeted reforms, whether that’s refining zoning guidance, investing in infrastructure, developing better financing tools or tailoring technical assistance.
These findings can help lenders better understand ADU costs and risks. They can help municipalities better align local practices with state intent. They can help state agencies direct resources to maximize impact.
In this way, each individual feasibility study contributes to a broader learning effort. Homeowners gain clarity and confidence. Policymakers gain insight. Communities gain tools to foster more affordable housing.
Massachusetts has already taken important steps to make ADUs easier to permit and build. In 2025, more than 1,200 ADUs were permitted across the state.
While significant, there is still a lot of room to grow. The next step is ensuring the statewide by-right zoning for ADUs results in real homes on the ground.
Excitement is building in Massachusetts for ADUs. The ADU Incentive Program aims to harness this momentum to generate more housing, using a people-centered and data-driven approach. ADUs may be small, but their potential impact on Massachusetts’ housing future is huge.
Meredith Boericke is the ADU program director and Elliot Schmiedl is the director of homeownership at the Massachusetts Housing Partnership. Information about the new MHP ADU Incentive Program can be found at MHP.net/ADU.
