California-based

Samara,
a
manufacturer
of
accessory
dwelling
units
(ADUs),
will
team
up
with

Prometheus
Real
Estate
Group
to
bring
ADUs
to
five
Prometheus
multifamily
communities
in
the
San
Francisco
Bay
Area. 

California
recently
expanded
ADU
capacity
on
multifamily
parcels
through

SB
1211,
which
passed
last
year
and
took
effect
at
the
beginning
of
2025.
The
legislation
increases
the
cap
on
ADUs
on
multifamily
properties
from
2
to
8,
effectively
adding
“infill”
opportunities
to
already-operating
rental
communities.
The
measure
also
simplified
the
permitting
process,
giving
municipalities
a
set
of
state-required
rules
for
reviewing
ADUs
on
multifamily
sites.

Samara
co-founder
and
CEO
Mike
McNamara
tells
HousingWire
that
the
change
allows
multifamily
operators
more
opportunity
to
repurpose
underutilized
land
with
ADUs.
This
boosts
housing
supply
and
benefits
multifamily
developer-owners
and
property
managers
by
creating
new
rental
opportunities.

“Think
about
if
they’ve
got
a
triangle
over
in
the
corner,
or
if
they’ve
got
a
fountain
that
they
put
up
years
ago
that
they
don’t
even
use
anymore.
Maybe
they
put
up
22
tennis
courts
when
tennis
courts
were
hot,
and
they
only
need
six
now.
That’s
where
there’s
excess
space,”
McNamara
said. 

Samara,
which
spun
off
from

Airbnb
in
2022,
has
ADUs
of
varying
sizes,
including
single
units
and
duplexes.
This
product’s
variability
gives
multifamily
owners
flexibility
when
expanding
their
rental
properties. 

“The
land’s
already
paid
for,
so
it’s
just
a
superb
way
to
add
incremental
yield,
because
there’s
no
cost
to
the
land.
All
they
have
to
do
is
buy
the
building.
It’s
a
great
way
to
add
capacity,”
McNamara
said. 

Samara
builds
ADUs
in
a
modular
process
off-site.
Once
it
is
delivered
to
a
property,
it
usually
only
takes
a
day
to
put
it
into
the
foundation
and
connect
the
utility
hookups,
which
minimizes
disruptions
to
tenants. 

The
deal
with
Prometheus
calls
for
installing
more
than
50
of
Samara’s
ADUs
in
communities
in
Silicon
Valley,
which
have
higher
home
prices
than
those
in
the
East
Bay. 

McNamara
expects
the
ADUs
Prometheus
delivers
will
rent
at
about
a
20%
premium
over
the
neighboring
apartments,
since
they
are
standalone
units
with
mini
yards
and
greater
privacy.  

However,
adding
new
housing
supply
of
varying
sizes
is
essential
in
California,
a
state
grappling
with
a
deep
housing
shortage.
Last
year,
housing
policy
nonprofit
Up
For
Growth

estimated
that
the
state
was
short
840,000
residential
units. 

A

survey
from
the
Bay
Area
Council
found
that
88%
of
Bay
Area
residents
favored
ADUs
as
a
solution
to
adding
more
housing.
McNamara
highlighted
this
public
support
to
note
that
there
is
usually
little
pushback
on
these
types
of
ADU
additions. 

“Another
wing
of
a
four-story
apartment
building
…
that’s
the
kind
of
thing
that
a
lot
of
the
residents
object
to,”
he
said.
“These
ADUs,
…
they
tuck
into
the
landscape,
and
they
hide
behind
trees.
So
it’s
a
real
gentle
way
to
add
density
while
maintaining
and
not
destroying
any
of
the
character
of
the
neighborhood.”