As a state with some of the highest housing costs in the country and an eviction rate that is creeping back up to pre-pandemic levels, cities across California are considering a variety of solutions to address its housing crunch.
One possible way to dramatically increase affordable housing, writes CalMatters housing reporter Ben Christopher, is the proliferation of “accessory dwelling units,” or ADUs. Typically small in size, these “backyard cottages” allow property owners to build a secondary dwelling on the same lot as their main residence and rent the place out for extra cash.
Because they usually require less regulation and review to build, some parts of California are experiencing a boom — about one in six of all new units permitted in the state are ADUs.
ADUs Are Popular in San Diego
These dwellings are particularly popular in San Diego because of the city’s unique rule that lets landlords construct a second “bonus” ADU unit for every one that they build, as long as the first unit is set aside for lower-income tenants. In parts of the city without nearby public transportation, one property can have as many as five units. And while there are some limitations, for landlords that have property in “transit priority” areas, they can build affordable and bonus ADUs many times over.
This has led to ambitious ADU projects in San Diego — with some units constructed on top of each other and resembling full-fledged apartment complexes rather than bespoke cottages or traditional “granny flats.” To date, the largest proposed project in the city includes 148 units.
More ADUs Statewide?
There is talk about building a lot more ADUs across the state. But critics are concerned that landlords aren’t truly making them affordable. They also argue that the dwellings change the character of neighborhoods and are wary of the casual regulatory approach to ADUs. As one co-founder of a San Diego neighborhood group put it, “Don’t call them ‘accessory’ if they’re dominant.”
Sheltering the Homeless
Speaking of the housing crisis: Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state will be giving nearly $300 million in grants towards moving about 10,000 unhoused people from encampments into shelters.
Half the money will go towards local efforts — matching funds of local and private, nonprofit contributions — and can be spent at their discretion, such as going towards subsidized housing or support services. The other half will go to state projects, namely to support CalTrans, as it works to clear out homeless encampments across the state.
Newsom stated, during the press conference: “The public has had it. They’re fed up, I’m fed up, we’re all fed up. And people are dying, they’re suffering on the streets, on sidewalks. So we have to move and that means we have to move with ideas, not just idealism.”
CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and
politics. Reprinted with permission. For more information, visit www.CalMatters.org.