From our Friends at Property Atlas
Accessory Dwelling Unit projects have the potential to solve our housing crisis and the State is trying to make it even easier to build these units with several pieces of legislature approved last year.
APPROVED: AB-976: This bill eliminates the requirement that homeowners owner-occupy their properties where ADU’s are added.
APPROVED: AB-1033: This bill allows local jurisdictions to permit ADU’s to be sold separately from the primary residence.
APPROVED: AB-1332: This bill requires cities/counties to offer 6 permit-ready plans for ADU projects including pre-approved plans for studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom units. (Los Angeles and San Mateo county have already implemented this change)
APPROVED: AB-42: This bill prohibits local agencies from requiring sprinklers for any dwelling with a total floor area of less than 250sf and on sites with up to 50 temporary sleeping cabins.
Contact your Assembly members to voice support or concern for these measures. We’ve made it easy for you. Here is a link to all their contact info: https://www.assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers
2023 CA Legislation Related to Density Bonuses
There were some big wins in increasing density in last year’s legislation. Here’s the update.
APPROVED: AB-323: This bill prohibits a developer from changing the use of a parcel for projects using density bonus laws.
APPROVED: AB-1218: This bill prohibits projects that demolish occupied/protected units, and sites where protected units were demolished within the past 5 years. (You’ll want to read this one!)
APPROVED: AB-1287: This bill grants an additional density bonus of up to 50% for projects providing 83% affordable units in specific tiers.
Suspended/Inactive: AB-1505: If passed, this bill would have provided financial assistance to owners of soft-story multifamily buildings for seismic upgrades. (Too late for all the SF property owners who did this)
Suspended/Inactive: AB-1532: If passed, this bill would have allowed conversion of office use to housing by-right and would prohibit conditional use or other discretionary reviews/hearings for these projects.