Shenandoah County has announced the winners of its inaugural Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Design Challenge, showcasing innovative housing solutions that blend modern needs with historic charm. The competition, funded by a $20,000 AARP Community Challenge grant, paired professional architects with local homeowners to create real-world designs for small-scale housing additions in Woodstock, Strasburg, Mount Jackson, and surrounding communities.
Architect Rich Hostelley emerged as a double winner, taking home both the Best Adaptive Reuse Award and the People's Choice Award for his thoughtful redesign of Janice Fleming's deteriorating garage in Woodstock. Rather than creating a bulky structure that would overshadow Fleming's century-old home, Hostelley designed a compact garage replacement featuring a lofted sleeping platform and exterior details that echo the architectural character of Woodstock's historic district. His approach prioritized harmony with the existing neighborhood while maximizing the potential of a small footprint.
The competition addressed a growing need in Shenandoah County, where families are increasingly seeking solutions for aging relatives, young adults priced out of rental markets, and long-term homeowners hoping to age in place without leaving their communities. Instead of theoretical designs, the challenge presented architects with real properties complete with aging structures, tight backyards, historic district requirements, unusual setbacks, and existing homeowners already contemplating their long-term housing needs.
Julian Liang's "The Veil" claimed the Best New Detached ADU award for his innovative design on Syed and Mrs. Raza's Strasburg property. The design centers around a carved-out courtyard that serves as an outdoor room, anchoring the entire layout while providing privacy and natural light. The signature feature is a system of sliding lattice barn doors beneath a trellis roof, allowing residents to adjust between openness and seclusion as needed. Built entirely on one level with zero-threshold entries and wide circulation paths, The Veil was specifically designed with aging in place in mind.
Sydney Tucker and Zhan Chen received the AARP Accessibility Award for their "Core House" concept, designed for Olivia Hilton's Mount Jackson property. This single-level plan emphasizes universal design principles with wide circulation paths and adaptable spaces that can evolve with residents' changing mobility needs over time. The design demonstrates how compact homes can be both functional today and accessible decades into the future.
For many participants, the competition represented a chance to explore practical solutions to personal housing challenges. Janice Fleming had already been considering replacing her deteriorating garage with a structure that could house family members, having witnessed her mother age comfortably with relatives and observed other family members build additions to accommodate elderly grandparents. "Needs are very individual," Fleming explained, "but for many people, an ADU solves both housing and living requirements."
The Razas were drawn to the competition by their own concerns about aging in their two-story Strasburg home. "My wife and I had talked a lot about aging in place when we bought this home," Syed Raza said. "We kept asking ourselves what life would look like in five or 10 years if stairs became an issue." The competition offered them a rare opportunity to envision alternatives without leaving the community they love.
Eastern Mennonite University engineering student Levi Stutzman rounded out the winners, taking the Student Winner category for his "Owen Remodel ADU." The diverse range of winning designs demonstrates that ADUs can serve multiple purposes – from guest suites and caregiver housing to rental income sources and long-term aging solutions.
Hostelley emphasized the broader community value of well-designed ADUs, noting that "the ADU market allows people to have more of a sense that they belong. It's theirs. It gives them the possibility of financial stability, but it also creates a community for themselves where they can bring people in." Liang added that quality design doesn't need to be sacrificed for affordability, stating that "ADUs can be more than secondary structures, they can be beautifully designed homes that do not sacrifice quality of life."
The winning designs collectively suggest that rural counties can add housing density without compromising the character that makes communities desirable. Each project approached its site differently – through historic preservation, courtyard privacy, or universal accessibility – yet all centered on the same principle: small homes can help people maintain connections to the places and relationships that matter most to them.
County officials plan to present comprehensive housing data and strategies on December 4, but the design challenge has already demonstrated that thoughtful small-scale development can coexist with historic preservation and community character. The competition results will be available for public viewing on the Shenandoah County website, providing inspiration and practical examples for residents considering their own housing solutions.
The success of this inaugural challenge indicates that Shenandoah County's approach to housing innovation – combining professional expertise with real community needs – may serve as a model for other rural areas facing similar demographic and housing pressures. By focusing on designs that respect existing neighborhood character while addressing contemporary housing challenges, the county has shown that growth and preservation can work hand in hand.
