The El Segundo Community Development Department announced April 10, 2025 that a voluntary library of pre-approved accessory dwelling unit (ADU) plans is now available on the city’s website.

Community Development Director Michael Halling reported the ADU pre-approval program has been "soft launched" and is now live. Under the program, architects may submit generic ADU floor plans for administrative plan check; if approved, those templates will be posted online for residents to select and adapt. Staff said the program is intended to reduce design fees and accelerate administrative review for homeowners who choose a pre-approved plan rather than commissioning a fully bespoke design.

Staff cautioned that template plans cannot address every lot-specific condition (setbacks, lot coverage, floor-area-ratio and other site constraints vary by lot) and noted experience from other cities shows relatively low uptake: staff cited that in Los Angeles fewer than 2% of ADU applicants used pre-approved plans in a prior report from another jurisdiction. Staff said the city currently averages about 15–20 ADU applications per year and it will monitor usage of the template library.

The department urged local architects to participate and said additional templates of different sizes and formats may be added over time. There was no formal action on this item; the announcement was made as an informational report to the commission.