We got our plans approved in concept by Hermosa. This is an important milestone as it means we can start the longer and probably more complicated Coastal Commission process, as well as starting to engineer and get permits for the build itself.
And a funny thing happened on the way to securing this approval. We seem to have sprouted an Accessory Dwelling Unit (aka ADU/Granny Flat/ Casita). We have always envisioned the fourth bedroom as a place for my mother-in-law to spend long periods of time - and maybe even live one day. But we had tried to draw a veil over that in our floor plans, by leaving open entrances we planned ultimately to close off.
We wanted to avoid having a proper ADU because we thought it might cause problems with the City - more parking requirements, for example. And with the Coastal Commission, who want fewer people living in Coastal Zones, not more.
But Governor Gavin Newsom's housing bill of late 2019 has changed all that. He's dying for people to build ADUs, as part of a response to the massive shortage of housing in California. Not quite sure our mother-in-law casita will help with that, but we're happy to benefit from the imperative it places on City councils to accept reasonable ADU proposals.
When the City asked 'is this an ADU?' we thought about saying 'no' but took some advice and decided just to be honest. Yes, it's an ADU. There's no reason not to declare it as one, the requirements - thanks to Newsom - aren't too onerous, and it means we can build just as we intend to use the house, from the get go.
So far it's a happy planning story. Approved ahead of schedule, and for more than we had hoped. We'll see how it fares with Coastal - but feel confident that if we get into wrangles with them, the State bill will ultimately trump the Coastal Commission. And now we have a planning application sign up on our front fence, ready to enrage and alarm our neighbours - but as previously posted I'm not losing sleep over that either.
And a funny thing happened on the way to securing this approval. We seem to have sprouted an Accessory Dwelling Unit (aka ADU/Granny Flat/ Casita). We have always envisioned the fourth bedroom as a place for my mother-in-law to spend long periods of time - and maybe even live one day. But we had tried to draw a veil over that in our floor plans, by leaving open entrances we planned ultimately to close off.
We wanted to avoid having a proper ADU because we thought it might cause problems with the City - more parking requirements, for example. And with the Coastal Commission, who want fewer people living in Coastal Zones, not more.
But Governor Gavin Newsom's housing bill of late 2019 has changed all that. He's dying for people to build ADUs, as part of a response to the massive shortage of housing in California. Not quite sure our mother-in-law casita will help with that, but we're happy to benefit from the imperative it places on City councils to accept reasonable ADU proposals.
When the City asked 'is this an ADU?' we thought about saying 'no' but took some advice and decided just to be honest. Yes, it's an ADU. There's no reason not to declare it as one, the requirements - thanks to Newsom - aren't too onerous, and it means we can build just as we intend to use the house, from the get go.
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| What we applied for |
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| What we got approved |
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