Dec 17, 2024
CityofLagunaNiguel30111CrownValleyParkwayLagunaNiguel,California92677 ByEmail: council@cityoflagunaniguel.org;RGennawey@cityoflagunaniguel.org;GJohns@cityoflagunaniguel.org;KJennings@cityoflagunaniguel.org;SOddo@cityoflagunaniguel.org;SWinstead@cityoflagunaniguel.org CC: [email protected];cityclerk@cityoflagunaniguel.org;tletourneau@cityoflagunaniguel.org;planning@cityoflagunaniguel.org;jorduna@cityoflagunaniguel.org Re:ProposedChangestotheCity’sADUOrdinance
DearLagunaNiguelCityCouncil,
TheCaliforniaHousingDefenseFund(“CalHDF”)submitsthisletterregardingtheproposedamendmentstotheCity’saccessorydwellingunit(“ADU”)ordinance,whicharecalendaredasPublicHearingagendaitem1ortheDecember17,2024Councilmeeting.
CalHDFappreciatesthattheCityisamendingitsADUordinancetokeeppacewithchangeinstatelaw.However,theproposedordinance’srequirementsconflictwithstatelawinseveralareas,asdiscussedbelow.
Background
ThelawgiveslocalgovernmentsauthoritytoenactzoningordinancesthatimplementavarietyofdevelopmentstandardsonADUs.(Gov.Code,§66314.)ThestandardsintheselocalordinancesarelimitedbystatelawsoasnottooverlyrestrictADUdevelopment.(Seeid.)SeparatelyfromlocalADUordinances,Gov.Code,§66323prescribesanarrowersetofADUtypesforwhichitimposesaministerialdutyoncitiestoapprove.“NotwithstandingSections66314to66322...alocalagencyshallministeriallyapprove”thesetypesofADUs.(Id.atsubd.(a).)ThismeansthatADUsthatsatisfytheminimalrequirementsofsection66323mustbeapprovedregardlessofanycontraryprovisionsofthelocalADUordinance.(Ibid.) SB1211,effective1January2025,makesthisevenmoreexplicit:Gov.Code,§66323, 360GrandAve#323,[email protected]
subdivision(b):“Alocalagencyshallnotimposeanyobjectivedevelopmentordesignstandardthatisnotauthorizedbythissectionuponanyaccessorydwellingunitthatmeetstherequirementsofanyofparagraphs(1)to(4),inclusive,ofsubdivision(a).” Inaddition,ADUsthatqualifyfortheprotectionsofGov.Code,§66323,likeotherADUs,mustbeprocessedbylocalgovernmentswithin60daysofacompletepermitapplicationsubmittal.(Gov.Code,§66317,subd.(a).) StatelawalsoprohibitscreatingregulationsonADUdevelopmentnotexplicitlyallowedbystatelaw.GovernmentCodeSection66315states,“Noadditionalstandards,otherthanthoseprovidedinSection66314,shallbeusedorimposed,includinganowner-occupantrequirement,exceptthatalocalagencymayrequirethatthepropertymaybeusedforrentalsofterms30daysorlonger.” ImpermissibleImpositionofUnderlyingZoningRequirements
Citycodesection9-1-35.26(d)requiresADUstobeconsistentwithallunderlyingzoningrequirementsunlessspecificallyidentifiedinthatsection.
Asdiscussedabove,statelawgiveslocalgovernmentsauthoritytoenactzoningordinancesthatimplementavarietyofdevelopmentstandardsonADUs.(Gov.Code,§66314.)ThestandardsintheselocalordinancesarelimitedbystatelawsoasnottooverlyrestrictADUdevelopment.(Seeid.)AndstatelawforbidscitiesfromimposingotherstandardsonADUsbeyondwhatarespecificallylistedinGovernmentCode,section66314.(Gov.Code,§66315.)TheCitythereforemaynotimposetheunderlyingzoningrequirementsonADUsunlesstheymeetthecriteriainGovernmentCodesection66314.
SeparatelyfromlocalADUordinances,Gov.Code,§66323prescribesanarrowersetofADUtypesforwhichitimposesaministerialdutyoncitiestoapprove.TheCitymustapprovebuildingpermitsforADUsthatmeetspecificheight,size,andsetbackcriteria.TheCitythereforecannotimposeanyaspectoftheunderlyingzoningrequirementsonsuchADUs.
ImpermissibleSetbackRequirements
Citycodesection9-1-35.26(d)(4)mandatesthatnewdetachedADUsmustadheretothesetbackrequirementsthattheunderlyingzoningdistrictimposesonprimarydwellings.Thefrontsetbackrequirementisonlyrelaxedifitisotherwiseimpossibletodevelopan800squarefootADUontheproperty.
However,GovernmentCodesection66323,subdivision(a)doespermitanyapplicationoffrontsetbackrequirementstoADUsthatqualifyforitsprotections,regardlessofwhetherornotanADUisdevelopableelsewhereontheproperty.Therearemanypolicyreasonsforthis. 2of4
Forinstance,ahomeownermayprefertopreserveaprivatebackyardspacewhileredevelopingthelessusefulfrontyard.Whilechildrenmayplayinthebackyard,thefrontyardisclosertothestreetandlesssafeforavarietyofactivities.TheCitythereforemustallowfrontyardADUsthatcomplywiththestandardsinGovernmentCodesection66323,subdivision(a)bothonsinglefamilyandonmultifamilyproperties,withouthavingtodemonstrateanyhardship.
Additionally,theCitymustallowADUsproposedwithinaprimarydwellingexpansionsofupto150squarefeetforthepurposesoffacilitatingingressandegress.(Gov.Code,§66323,subd.(a)(1)(A).)TheCitymustallowsuchexpansionsnotwithstandingunderlyingsetbackrequirements.
AndtheJanuary2025HCDHandbookexplicitlystatesthatADUssubjecttoGovernmentCodesection66323donothavetocomplywithfrontsetbackrequirements (seepage18).
ImpermissibleParkingRequirements
Citycodesection9-1-35.26(d)(8)requiresparkingforeachnewADU,lesscertainexceptions.However,asdiscussedabove,GovernmentCodesection66323mandatesthattheCityapproveaspecificclassofADUssubjectonlytospecifiedheightandsetbackrequirements,notwithstandinganylocalcoderequirementstothecontrary.ThismeansthattheCitycannotsubjectsuchADUstoparkingrequirements.
Additionally,asnotedabove,SB1211,effective1January2025,makestheprohibitiononparkingrequirements(oranyotherdevelopmentstandardnotauthorizedbysection66323)evenmoreexplicit:Gov.Code,§66323,subdivision(b):“Alocalagencyshallnotimposeanyobjectivedevelopmentordesignstandardthatisnotauthorizedbythissectionuponanyaccessorydwellingunitthatmeetstherequirementsofanyofparagraphs(1)to(4),inclusive,ofsubdivision(a).” AndtheJanuary2025HCDHandbookexplicitlyforbidsparkingforADUssubjecttoGovernmentCodesection66323(seepage20). ⧫⧫⧫
CalHDFappreciatesthattheCityisupdatingitszoningcodetokeeppacewithchangesinstatelaw.However,CalHDFurgestheCounciltomakesureitszoningcodeactuallycomplieswithstatelaw.
CalHDFisa501(c)(3)non-profitcorporationwhosemissionincludesadvocatingforincreasedaccesstohousingforCaliforniansatallincomelevels,includinglow-incomehouseholds.YoumaylearnmoreaboutCalHDFatwww.calhdf.org. 3of4
Sincerely,
DylanCaseyCalHDFExecutiveDirector
JamesM.LloydCalHDFDirectorofPlanningandInvestigations
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