San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule

San Diego is reining in its accessory dwelling unit (ADU) regulations after a series of complaints from residents about the size of new buildings, reports Andrew Keatts in Axios.

The city’s ADU bonus program allows property owners that include income-restricted units to build additional ADUs, effectively letting developers build full apartment buildings on single-family lots. “The council voted 6-3 to direct city planners to return within 90 days with a repeal of the program in single-family zones that tend to have the largest lot sizes, which made them susceptible to ‘outlier’ projects that generated the most opposition.” The council also directed city staff to come up with reforms to the ADU program that could include infrastructure fees.

Keatts points out that the opposition in this case didn’t come from wealthy white homeowners; some residents worry that the movement will perpetuate inequities and displace longtime community members. “Opposition Tuesday came specifically from residents of District 4, the city's historically black community that has been hit especially hard with bonus ADU projects because many of its single-family neighborhoods have large lot sizes,” Keatts notes.