Local homeowners can now build accessory dwelling units on land protected under agricultural preserve contracts, according to amendments to the Uniform Rules for Agricultural Preserves that were unanimously passed by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 14.
At the meeting, supervisors also approved changes that will make it easier for owners of single and multifamily lots to develop accessory dwelling units in new or already existing buildings.
Although the supervisors expressed numerous concerns over the amendments, which have been in the works since 2017, several community and county staff members spoke in favor of the long-awaited and state-mandated changes.
Alex Pujo, a Santa Barbara-based architect, said he and many of his colleagues have been pushing to streamline the approval process for accessory dwelling units for years in an effort to increase the availability of affordable housing in the area. He said the changes are “the lowest hanging fruit in the housing crisis,” and that many homeowners already illegally rent out similar dwellings.
“This is a great venue to legalize these units and make more housing available,” Pujo said at the meeting.
Under the revised ordinances, county Planner Jessi Steele said homeowners hoping to build accessory dwelling units will no longer have to obtain land-use permits; can build in ag zones of all sizes and mountainous zones; and requirements relating to lot size, parking, and the application process have been relaxed.
Steele said at the meeting that accessory dwelling unit sizes will be restricted to 8 percent of the net lot area or 50 percent of original dwelling, with a maximum size of 1,200 square feet. The units cannot be used as short-term rentals and cannot be sold separately from the original dwelling.
The new rules will go into effect on Sept. 14 inland. Coastal regions will see similar changes only after the proposed amendments are approved by the Coastal Commission. Developers who were approved for or issued land-use permits or exemptions on or before the amendments were passed on Aug. 14, will be given a year to get the building permits required by the new laws.
Santa Maria City Council unanimously passed a similar ordinance allowing accessory dwelling units in residential neighborhoods in December 2017. The units can be created through the conversion of existing living space in a single-family home, through an addition to an existing home, or by constructing an entirely new detached structure.
The ordinances are the result of several state laws passed in 2016 that require cities and counties to streamline the accessory dwelling unit permitting process. The bills were passed in an effort to increase the state’s rental unit inventory.
This article appears in Aug 23-30, 2018.