A San Diego City Council committee has voted to make major changes to a controversial incentive plan for backyard apartments, or ADU's, Accessory Dwelling Units, including a proposal to limit the number per property.
A large crowd packed the Land Use and Housing Committee meeting Thursday afternoon for a six-hour debate over controversial ADU projects reshaping their communities. There were more than 160 people who signed up for public comment.
Council members say the goal is to prevent developers from drastically altering the character of single-family neighborhoods by manipulating the city’s incentive so they can build dozens of backyard apartments on one lot.
The council’s Land Use and Housing Committee voted 3-1 to force people who build such units to pay infrastructure fees and to require parking for those that aren’t near transit.
The proposal also requires greater distances from property lines, limits backyard apartments to two stories and prohibits them on cul-de-sacs in areas with high wildfire risk.
The committee's recommendation will now go to he full San Diego City Council.
(Photo reporting partner 10News)