Many residents of University City have reached out to Help Save UC to ask questions and voice objections about new Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) construction within our community. We are equally alarmed by the massive appearance and intrusiveness of some ADUs currently under construction or that already have been built.
We share your concerns about ADUs here in UC, and feel the City of San Diego has put far too little restrictions on their development. However, Help Save UC is primarily focused on guiding the land use scenarios being proposed as part of the University Community Plan Update, in light of the immediate and irreversible changes that could go into effect in the coming year.
Instead, we want to refer you to Neighbors for a Better San Diego, another all-volunteer organization that formed several years ago to battle unregulated ADU construction and correct San Diego's neighborhood-killing zoning changes.
Neighbors for a Better San Diego has put forth a petition for a moratorium on San Diego zoning changes in transit priority areas. In October 2020, the Mayor and City Council revised the municipal code in a way that risks degrading our city neighborhoods. The City is now allowing the construction of multi-unit rentals in backyards instead of focusing on the housing and infrastructure needs of long-neglected transit corridors.
The Neighbors for a Better San Diego petition demands a moratorium on all ADU construction to allow time for the City of San Diego to revise its ADU development regulations in a more thoughtful and comprehensive way. To sign the petition, please click here: https://www.neighborsforabettersandiego.org/petition-text
If you want to learn more about the issue of ADUs, or need to contact someone about your specific concerns, we urge you to visit the Neighbors for a Better San Diego website at https://www.neighborsforabettersandiego.org. We suggest you also join that organization's email list so you can be kept up-to-date on the ADU situation that's currently affecting the entire City of San Diego, as well as any progress being made to better regulate them.
We also suggest that you email Mayor Todd Gloria at mayortoddgloria@sandiego.gov along with District 6 Council Member Kent Lee at kentlee@sandiego.gov to address your specific concerns and to let them know the current ADU regulations are too permissive and unacceptable.
Please note that there is no local legislation currently pending regarding ADU development under the current Administration, and there is little that can be changed about those currently under construction or already completed. Meanwhile, we still have a chance to fight back against the enormous amount of new development being proposed by the City of San Diego as part of the University Community Plan Update. Please support Help Save UC in its efforts to ensure reasonable, responsible growth of our wonderful community.