BOZEMAN – At Monday night’s city commission meeting, eight Montana State University Architecture and Design students gave presentations about three Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) that they have been working on for several weeks.
ADUs can be no more than 600 square feet in size and often are tiny homes or garage apartments. Student Jerry Brown said his group incorporated two solar panels into their project.
“This is really a special presentation because it’s highlighting not only the partnership between the city and the School of Architecture, but it really has become a community project so we are excited to show you the progress we have made,” said Senior Planner Courtney Johnson.
These students have worked with the Bozeman’s Planning Department to face challenges including having enough parking spaces, being less than 600 square feet in size, and meeting the homeowner’s vision. One of the teams added two solar panels after realizing how much sun the ADU sees in a typical day.
“That right there just ups the value of the property of the house,” said Brown.
All of the ADUs presented to the commission met city code. Deputy Mayor Chris Mehl applauded the students for their work.
“I do hope in December you come to us with some suggestions, in addition to your specifics about areas to improve as well, but also an acknowledgment that you are guys are off and running and you are going to be pretty busy for the next six weeks,” said Mehl.
City employees provided the funding, their advice, and their time, but in the end it was students who came up with the blueprints.
Reporting by Mederios Babb for MTN News
