Inspired ADUs is honored to announce that our team has been awarded a contract under Alameda County’s SHIFT (Strategic Housing Innovation for Tomorrow) initiative. This program represents one of the region’s most ambitious efforts to accelerate small-scale infill housing, expand attainable homeownership, and bring high-quality design to communities that need it most. We are proud to help lead this important work. More information about the launch of this program is available here.
Alameda County’s SHIFT Program is among the most forward-thinking housing initiatives in the state, and Inspired ADUs is uniquely equipped to help realize its vision
What the SHIFT Program Aims to Achieve
SHIFT was created by Alameda County Housing and Community Development to pilot fast, replicable pathways for delivering small homes across the county. Its goals include:
As a program, SHIFT sits at the intersection of policy, design innovation, and equitable development. It is intentionally structured as a multi-phase partnership, bringing together design teams, builders, developers, community stakeholders, and County leadership to test and refine scalable housing solutions.
Our Winning Proposal: Architect-Led, High-Performance Infill Housing
Inspired ADUs responded to the RFP with a comprehensive design, planning, and delivery framework centered on high-quality, architect-led infill housing. Our proposal draws on everything we have learned from completing more than 250 ADU and small-lot projects across California.
Key components include:
1. A family of repeatable prototypes
We advanced a suite of small-lot housing models grounded in our existing work, leveraging proven floor plans from our ADU Plan Library and adapting them for multifamily, SB9 lot splits, and compact ownership housing.
2. Optimized pathways for cost, constructability, and permitting
We evaluated multiple delivery methods, including traditional framing, panelized construction, and prefabricated assemblies. The proposal outlines how each approach influences cost, timeline, carbon footprint, and site logistics, allowing the County to match the right method to each neighborhood condition.
3. A feasibility-driven design and development strategy
Our proposal blended our core design principles with our team’s real estate development expertise, incorporating cost modeling, pro forma analysis, daylight and open-space considerations, and our proven small-but-lives-large layouts to ensure each prototype is both buildable and genuinely livable.
4. A multidisciplinary team and partner network
Our proposal drew on experience across ADU architecture, multifamily infill development, housing policy, small-lot subdivisions, construction cost estimation, and real estate development within the team. As the work progresses, we look forward to collaborating with our network of partners in construction, offsite fabrication and development as we refine the program with Alameda County.
How New California Housing Legislation Supports SHIFT
This year’s housing bills significantly strengthen the policy landscape for small-scale infill. Several directly support the goals of SHIFT, including:
These bills open clearer pathways for gentle density, faster approvals, and small-home ownership models. We have created a dedicated guide that walks through what each bill allows, who benefits, and how they influence feasibility, lot configuration, and development strategy.
Read the full breakdown here: IA’s Guide to California’s 2025 Housing Bills.
What Comes Next
Over the coming months, our team will work closely with Alameda County to refine prototypes, evaluate candidate sites, and prepare standards that can scale across jurisdictions. We look forward to sharing milestones, design progress, and lessons learned as we help advance a new model for equitable, high-impact infill housing.
If you would like early updates or wish to discuss how these prototypes might apply to your property or community, please contact us.
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