By Shain Haug | News from the Allied Gardens/Grantville Community Council

The next Allied Gardens/Grantville Community Council (AGGCC) Town Hall Meeting will be on Tuesday, July 24, at 6:30 p.m. at the Benjamin Library at the corner of Zion Avenue and Glenroy Street. District 7 Councilmember Scott Sherman will speak on issues relevant to our community.

The lead article in last month’s Mission Times Courier dealt with Accessory Housing Units (ADUs), commonly known as “companion units” or “granny flats,” and how they alter the character of our community. California legislation compels cities like San Diego to use ADUs to meet the requirements for affordable housing. The city’s ordinances appear to comply with the law as interpreted by the California Department of Housing and Community Development. But serious questions remain as to how the city passed the implementing ordinances and what was left out of the ordinances. These are the questions we want to pose to Councilmember Sherman:

State zoning law and city of San Diego ordinances call for public examination of land use regulations and of material modifications of those rules. ADUs will increase density in residential zones. Shouldn’t the ADU ordinances go through the community planning groups in the same manner as community plan development?

State law allows local ordinances to require the property owner to be a resident as a condition of a permit to construct an ADU. The city ordinances are silent on this point, thereby allowing both the ADU and the main dwelling to be rentals. Why did the city fail to include this vital consideration of owner residence in the ordinances?

State law allows local flexibility on the physical location of the ADU on the lot, the only condition being that any limitation cannot unreasonably restrict the right to a permit. An informal opinion of the California Department of Housing and Community Development is that a restriction to a backyard location would be reasonable so long as there is room. Why does the city ordinance fail to recognize the unfortunate impact of frontyard ADUs on our community?

Local ordinance waives a portion of the fees for an ADU building permit. What is the reason for that abatement?

A related issue is the question of the increase in parking that will follow the rental of these units. It appears most of Allied Gardens is in a “Transit Priority Area” because of proximity to public transit lines. However, it is very hard to find the specific rules and how they apply to our neighborhood. What additional on-site parking will be required with the construction of an ADU?

The AGGCC board of directors meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at Benjamin Library, at the corner of Zion Avenue and Glenroy Street. Our next board meeting will be on Tuesday, Aug. 7.

— Shain Haug is the president of the Allied Gardens/Grantville Community Council. Reach him at [email protected]. For more information, visit aggccouncil.org.