Faster, cheaper homes: Alameda County taps Oakland firm to advance SHIFT housing pilot

by Kiley Russell, Bay City News December 16, 2025December 16, 2025

An 800-square-foot accessory dwelling unit (ADU) built by Oakland-based Inspired ADUs appears in a framegrab from video. The company recently won a bid to spearhead Alameda County's new "Scalable Housing Investment Funding Toolkit" (SHIFT) pilot project during its first three-year phase. The project aims to streamline the permitting and construction process for ADUs by utilizing pre-permitted standardized designs, helping to reduce construction costs. (Framegrab from video via Affordable ADUs/YouTube)

Alameda County’s effort to cut red tape from housing production took a step forward recently with the selection of an Oakland-based architectural firm to spearhead part of the project.

The county’s Housing and Community Development Department announced last week that the firm Inspired ADUs will help flesh out the new “Scalable Housing Investment Funding Toolkit” pilot project during its first three-year phase.

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Kiley Russell, Bay City News

Kiley Russell writes primarily for Local News Matters on issues related to equity and the environment. A Bay Area native, he has lived most of his life in Oakland. He studied journalism at San Francisco State University, worked for the Associated Press and the former Contra Costa Times, among other outlets. He has covered everything from state legislatures, local governments, federal and state courts, crime, growth and development, political campaigns of various stripes, wildfires and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

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