The City of Long Beach seeks to pass a new ordinance designed to help simplify construction of ADUs and SB 9.
The proposals, announced by the city last week, are part of a broader, decade-long development plan for Long Beach, which ranks first in is Southern California’s most famous — will be developed by the city’s Department of Developmental Services and may be adopted in 2024. The measures still need to be approved by the city council.
In addition to promoting the city’s building goals, city officials see the ordinances as a boon for the city’s homeowners. Councilman Al Austin II said in a release that the measures “will provide families with more options to maintain and build intergenerational wealth, which we know is critical to eliminating inequality and creating social mobility. Sex matters.”
The development of ADUs (also known as accessory dwelling units or granny flats) has exploded in California in recent years, in part because series of state laws This stimulated their construction. This year, Long Beach launched a pre-approved ADU program designed to save homeowners who want to build a unit time and hassle; the new ordinance will tie in with the program and update the city’s ADU-related regulations.
The impact of SB 9, a state law that goes into effect in 2022, has proven even more elusive. The law eliminated zoning for most single-family homes in the state by allowing owners to subdivide land and build duplexes. Before the policy went into effect, critics — especially wealthy homeowners and cities — advanced mostly unfounded theories that the changes would destroy community character and cause all kinds of damage, including safety and environmental concerns.
But the law, which had been intended as a modest way to increase density, has so far received little attention. A study published earlier this year found that SB 9 13 cities barely used The researchers analyzed.
Long Beach’s ordinance will bring city policy into law and is designed to encourage homeowners to use it.
