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Reforming the Bonus ADU Program

On January 28, 2025, the City Council voted to ask the Planning Department to come back in 60 days with a plan to align San Diego's ADU regulations more closely with state law. This is welcome news for San Diego neighborhoods that have been grappling with ADU apartment complexes that contain dozens of ADUs.

To support this process, Neighbors For A Better San Diego has performed an analysis of the differences between State and San Diego ADU regulations. Click HERE to view the comparison charts for single-family and multi-family zones.

A summary of the drawbacks of San Diego's regulations can be found HERE.

Because state ADU laws are changing every year, there are benefits to sticking to the state's regulations instead of veering away from the intention and design of state regulations with the Bonus ADU program. Those benefits are detailed HERE.

Latest Updates

March 14, 2026

Make sure your comments are fully counted in the Mid-City Plan Update

The Planning Commission did not know how to handle incoming messages, so even if you have already sent an email, it's important to resubmit your comment via their Webform so it can be counted by staff (now that the Agenda has been published)... (open)

March 9, 2026

Perspectives No. 10: The Un-Democracy of the Mid-City Plan Update

I’ve never seen this before: A community plan update that wipes out most of a community’s single-family zoning. That’s what’s happening to Normal Heights, Kensington, and Talmadge under the City of San Diego's undemocratic Mid-City Communities Plan Update... (open)

January 13, 2026

Understanding land use policies that affect your neighborhood

Everett DeLano, a lawyer who has been successful in several lawsuits against the City of San Diego, will be our guest speaker at the San Diego Community Coalition’s third “Town Hall With A Newsmaker” forum this Saturday at the La Jolla-Riford Library... (open)

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Position Papers

February 28, 2023

Sustainable Development Areas

2022 Land Development Code updates undermines climate action by promoting development up to a mile away from transit

October 5, 2021

Updated ADU Code Revision for SB 9

"4 MEANS 4"

September 15, 2021

Getting Traction with San Diego City Council

San Diego City Council takes a first step towards revising its ADU code.

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