NFABSD Submittals to the May 15 Land Use and Housing Subcommittee
NFABSD Responses to the May 9, 2025, Staff Report ​
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In advance of the May 15 Land Use and Housing hearing (Agenda), the Planning Department has published a Staff Report detailing their proposed changes the Bonus ADU regulations. This includes updates in response to recommendations from the Planning Commission.
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NFABSD responses to the Planning Department's updated proposals include specific recommended changes to the 25 recommendations in the Staff Report and further recommendations that go beyond the Planning Department's amendments. These were submitted to the Committee as follows:
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Argument for limiting number of units to encourage larger, family-sized ADUs
Specific responses to Planning Department's 25 proposed amendments
Additional responses to Planning Department's amendments
Simplifying regulations and providing certainty to homeowners and developers
Key to acronyms
ADU - Accessory Dwelling Unit
JADU - Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit
HCD - State Department of Housing and Community Development. Specifically refers to the comments of HCD in Attachment 3 of the Staff Report.
FAR - Floor Area Ratio. FAR is calculated as the ratio of the square footage of development (structures) to the area of the lot. The allowed maximum FAR of development on a lot depends on the size of the lot.
RS Zones - Residential Single-Family. Even though every "single-family" property in San Diego is allowed at least 4 dwelling units, there are still distinctions in development regulations between single-family and multi-family zoned properties. The most prevalent type of RS zoning in San Diego is RS-1-7, which equates to 7 primary dwelling units (i.e., houses) per acre, with a minimum lot size of 5,000 square feet. You can find the zoning of your home by going to the Zoning and Parcel Information Portal (ZAPP Map) and typing in the address.
DSD - Developments Services Department. For ministerial projects, such as Bonus ADU developments, DSD has the sole authority to approve projects. There is no mechanism for appealing ministerial (Process 1) decisions.
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Click HERE for more details on NFABSD's responses to the Planning Departments proposals.
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