For many, the long-standing neighborhood template of a home, backyard and garage on a lot was too intrinsic to the California lifestyle to upend.
But over the past four years, a suite of smaller proposals has quietly chipped away at zoning only for single-family homes, attracting comparably little blowback.
— latimes.com
California Governor Gavin Newsom has officially signed a series of bills into law that effectively eliminate single-family zoning across the state. The legislation, according to a report in The Los Angeles Times, allows property owners to build up to two additional residential units on any property currently zoned for single-family use.
Under the new rules, homeowners can build an 800-square-foot backyard unit in addition to also converting a garage or interior living space into a third residential unit. The new rules, set to take effect January 1, 2020, could up-end the state's ubiquitous suburban-style neighborhoods.
3 Comments
I’m all for abolishing zoning. The unintended consequences may be a reduced amount of green space though. Residential (backyard) landscapes sequester an enourmous amount of carbon, and if properly designed, can sequester far more. Humus...soil...Even lawns (while not ideal) are very good at putting carbon in the soil...These lots, whether designed for sfr or multi family, ought to include/offset some percentage of green space psf or per person...onsite or offsite.
This will be tied up in court until the sun burns out.
Those getting hard over this broad brush "paying off" may be a bit short-sighted.
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