Shenandoah County is turning to community and small-scale solutions to address one of its biggest long-term challenges: housing.

Thanks to a $20,000 grant from the AARP Community Challenge program, the county is launching the Shenandoah Housing Design Challenge — a countywide design competition focused on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). These small-scale housing options — such as backyard cottages, garage conversions, or basement apartments — offer added flexibility, generate rental income, and provide alternatives for seniors, caregivers and families with changing needs.

The competition is open to architects, engineers, students, and skilled community members. Participants will work with real properties to craft housing concepts that reflect Shenandoah’s landscape and character.

“Our goal is to produce inspiring, buildable ADU designs that expand local housing options — supporting aging in place, workforce housing, and more efficient use of existing lots,” said Lemuel Hancock, the county’s director of community development.

The competition will follow a “hybrid approach,” Hancock said. Local homeowners can submit their properties to be considered as case studies, and designers will select from those examples to create a site-specific concept, ranging from detached cottages and garage conversions to transforming a single-family house into a two-family home.

The initiative is designed to do more than sharpen design skills, it aims to generate tangible solutions and help residents reimagine what’s possible on the lots they already own.

“This competition may not produce fully pre-approved plans, but it will lay the groundwork,” Hancock said. “Ideally, it will identify a follow-up opportunity — either through another grant or private-sector initiative — to complete permit-ready versions.”

By mid-July, the county hopes to compile a list of participating homeowners and interested designers. A full competition brief is expected in late July or early August, outlining design parameters, submission categories and deadlines. Categories will likely be split between professionals and students or amateurs.

The design phase will run through early fall, followed by a public showcase and community voting in October or November. A judging panel will select top entries, and Hancock said a “people’s choice award” is also under consideration. Prize amounts are still being finalized, but financial awards will be part of the competition.

“There will be real award money,” Hancock said.

Beyond technical outcomes, the initiative is framed as a creative, community-driven movement, one that empowers residents and builds momentum for broader housing reform.

“The flexibility of ADUs allows them to serve seniors seeking to age in place, caregivers, multigenerational families, and individuals looking for affordable rental options,” Hancock said.

The competition also arrives as Shenandoah County undertakes broader housing research. Two studies, funded through Virginia Housing grants and led by the Virginia Center for Housing Research, are currently underway. One focuses on Woodstock’s potential for mixed-use, mixed-income development, while the other examines countywide housing supply, affordability, zoning constraints and demographic shifts.

As Hancock described it, the design challenge offers an immediate, creative way to turn underutilized properties into real housing solutions, while longer-term planning continues.

Residents interested in participating can fill out an interest form at: www.shenandoahcountyva.gov/514/Housing-Competition