The City Council’s Land Use & Housing Committee voted 3-1 on May 15 to adopt and pass along recommended revisions to the City’s Accessory Dwelling Unit Bonus Program.

Those revisions include limiting ADU units allowed per lot to a yet-to-be-determined number, restricting ADUs to two stories, prohibiting them in cul-de-sacs in high fire-risk zones, removing eligibility for them in certain single-family zones, particularly those with larger lot sizes; increasing setbacks; requiring off-street parking for some units; and requiring infrastructure fees and parking for ADUs not near transit.

Committee members are Kent Lee (District 6), Raul Campillo (District 7), Vivian Moreno (District 8), and Sean Elo-Rivera (District 9).

Previously, on May 1, the San Diego Planning Commission unanimously recommended approving 24 proposed changes backed by Mayor Todd Gloria to the City’s existing ADU Bonus Program. Now that the committee has weighed in, proposed ADU revisions are scheduled to be reviewed and acted upon by the full San Diego City Council on June 2.

Critics of the City’s ADU Bonus Program argue it is fraught with policy loopholes that need to be closed. Some insist the program is being exploited by developers to achieve overdevelopment, threatening the character and scale of existing single-family neighborhoods.

Several coastal residents addressed the City’s ADU Bonus Program at the May 15 committee meeting.

“We supported the addition of one ADU or Junior ADU even in historic districts,” said Bruce Coons of Point Loma, executive director of Save Our Heritage Organisation, a nonprofit historical preservation group. “Then somehow we got this unlimited ADU Bonus Program with very little public input, and certainly no tailoring, and it’s become a nightmare.”

“I would urge you all to send this back to the Planning Department,”

said Larry Webb of the Mission Beach Precise Planning Board. “Incentivize building two- and three-bedroom ADUs. We need something that families can live in. All these ‘shoeboxes’ are ridiculous. It doesn’t create affordable housing.”

Webb added that Mission Beach planners have sent a letter asking the City to exclude ADUs from Mission Beach.

Another speaker testified that “when there are apartment-like ADU complexes built on a single cul-de-sac lot with no off-street parking, you get chaos, anger, and a real threat to residents’ safety.”

Another testifier complained that regional fire maps showing high-risk areas are out of date. “We’re hoping that the fire marshal will amend this (map) to put back all the high fire-zone areas that were taken out,” she said.

Thanking the City for some of its proposed ADU Bonus Program changes, Mary Soriano, president of La Jolla Town Council, advocated against “Junior ADUs not required to have 31 days minimum rentals.”

She added: “Bonus units mean exponentially more toilets, showers, roofs, trash, and more air conditioning usage. These add to the financially strained City infrastructure projects. How are affordable violations being enforced?”

Following the May 15 meeting, Land Use & Housing Committee member Campillo said: “I’ve heard concerns about oversized developments that threaten the unique character of neighborhoods and put community safety in jeopardy. I’ve also heard from people who see ADUs as a lifeline or their first step in saving for a future home. My goal has been to bridge these perspectives, ensuring that our housing policies not only meet state requirements, but also reflect the realities of our communities now.”

Campillo added: “[City Council] is taking decisive steps to protect environmentally sensitive areas — like canyons and steep slopes — from development. Additionally, the (revised ADU Bonus Program) proposal addresses parking challenges in neighborhoods without reliable public transit and sets reasonable height limits to protect the integrity of neighborhoods. These steps reflect a balanced, forward-thinking approach. They preserve the best aspects of the ADU program, while addressing the key challenges that residents have raised.”

ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS

ADUs, or granny flats, are separate, self-contained living spaces on the same lot as a primary residence. They’re designed to provide independent living facilities, including a kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping area, for one or more persons.

• Purpose: ADUs are often used for multigenerational living, housing elderly family members, providing rental income, or offering guests a private space. ADUs can be detached from the main house (a backyard cottage), attached to the main house (a garage conversion), or converted from an existing space within the main house (a basement apartment).
• Current San Diego ADU Bonus Program: Allows single-family homeowners to build an unspecified number of additional ADU units if some are reserved for low- to moderate-income residents. Current state laws allow ADUs to be built as independent living spaces with kitchens and bathrooms. The ADU program will enable developers to create one market-rate unit for every deed-restricted affordable ADU, with no hard cap on the total number, as long as the property is within a half-mile of public transit, such as a bus or trolley stop. State law also currently precludes the City from requiring parking at ADUs in Transit Priority Areas near bus or trolley lines.