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ADU Public Meetings

Upcoming Meetings

2020 ADU Ordinance Amendments

City Council Ordinance Introduction

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Past Meetings

Meetings Summary

In 2020, the Planning Commission held two hearings on the draft ADU ordinance amendments. After the August 6, 2020 hearing, the draft ordinance amendments were revised to incorporate comments received from the California Coastal Commission, Housing and Community Development Department, and members of the American Institute of Architects. At the September 3, 2020 hearing, the Planning Commission recommended adoption of the revised draft ordinance amendments and took a straw poll vote on other topics for further discussion with City Council. The straw poll topics and votes were as follows:

Remove existing recorded owner occupancy covenants [at property owners request]: Pass 7/0;
Eliminate the owner occupancy requirement [in the Residential Single Unit (RS) zone] permanently: Fail 3/4;
Allow Standard ADUs in High Fire Hazard Areas [meaning all types of ADUs would be allowed in these areas]: Pass 5/2;
Remove the posted sign requirement: Pass 5/2; and
In concept, allow non-residential space in mixed-use buildings to convert to ADUs with further study: Pass 7/0.

On September 29, 2020, the City Council Ordinance Committee recommended adoption of the draft ordinance amendments to City Council. Ordinance Committee recommended the following actions on the topics for further discussion:

Amend the ordinance to allow removal of existing recorded owner occupancy covenants at the property owners request;
Consistent with State Law, temporarily suspend the owner occupancy requirement in the Residential Single Unit (RS) zone until January 1, 2025, but do not permanently eliminate the owner occupancy requirement;
Prohibit Standard ADUs in the Foothill and Extreme Foothill High Fire Hazard Areas (Special ADUs and Junior ADUs would be allowed, as described in the draft ordinance);
Continue to require neighborhood notification via a posted sign but revise the text to clarify the ministerial review process; and
In concept, consider future ordinance amendments to allow non-residential space in mixed-use buildings to convert to ADUs with further study.

Next Steps

The Ordinance Committee’s recommendations will be incorporated in the final draft ordinance amendments forwarded to City Council. Adoption of an ordinance requires two City Council hearings: a first reading (introduction) and a second reading (adoption). The ADU ordinance takes effect 30 days after adoption.