A provision in the city’s ADU ordinance allows developers to build an essentially unlimited number of units on single-family lots.

Developers in San Diego are using the city’s ADU Bonus Program to build multi-unit accessory dwelling units (ADUs) that go far beyond the typical ‘granny flat,’ reports Ben Christopher in CALmatters. “The city’s one-of-a-kind ordinance offers landlords a one-for-one deal. If they agree to construct an ADU and keep the rent low enough for San Diegans making under a certain income, they’re automatically permitted to build a second ‘bonus’ unit, which they can rent at whatever price they like.”
The law generally allows for up to five units on one property. “But in bus-and train-adjacent ‘transit priority’ areas — a designation that covers much of San Diego’s urban core — a landlord can alternate affordable and bonus units again and again and again.” Although there are height and floor area ratio limits, “you can squeeze in an awful lot of ADUs within those parameters.” In one case, a single lot now holds nine apartment units, of which four are ADUs. According to the city, a typical ADU application includes 4 to 7 units, while the largest project with a submitted application is 148 units.
As Christopher explains, “Depending on your perspective, San Diego’s ‘crafty little maneuver’ is either an ingeniously clever use of state law to provide a much needed boost to the local housing supply or a sneak effort to foist an intolerable degree of construction and density upon unsuspecting residents while only providing a token degree of affordability.”
FULL STORY: Not your grandma’s granny flat: How San Diego hacked state housing law to build ADU ‘apartment buildings’

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

Making Mobility More Inclusive
A new study highlights the challenges people with disabilities continue to face in navigating urban spaces.

Texas Bills Could Push More People Into Homelessness
A proposal to speed up the eviction process and a bill that would accelerate enforcement of an existing camping ban could make the state’s homelessness crisis worse, advocates say.

USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure
If their work is suspended, states could lose a valuable resource for monitoring, understanding, and managing water resources.
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