On September 16, 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 9, aimed at streamlining housing approval and loosening zoning restrictions in an effort to spur housing construction in California.
SB9, by Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, will have a significant impact on lots with single-family zoning. SB 9 now allows for;
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- A property owner to add a second unit on a parcel zoned for single-family in the form of a duplex.
- A property owner to subdivide a single-family lot into two lots of equal size, so potentially four units could be built on a single-family lot where one now stands.
An application to do either or both must be approved by local governments, provided the project meets certain requirements.
The state’s objective is to unlock land for development. The Department of Housing and Community Development estimates that 65% of zoning in California is single-family. The state is focused on solving the housing crisis by creating density infill, spurring housing development, and driving down home prices to create affordability.
To read the bill, go to the California State Legislative information page and search under bill number SB9.
Looks like Lafayette and Orinda will never be the same again. I wonder though, where all the power and water for all these new units will come from?
I actually think the real intent of this law is to break up the suburbs.
Investment in infrastructure. It’s not the first time.
are you implying water is infrastructure and not a resource?
Does that qualify as a “When did you stop beating your wife?” question?
I think it’s about the supply/demand curves and lowering price.
This law is the natural progression of cities in which older large homes are subdivided in to apartments over the decades. It is not that revolutionary. Allowing home owners to divide their lot into 12 apartments would be closer to a true end to single family homes.
There must be an awful lot of us on the way.
To you people posting above: I wish you were all my neighbors, so when I put a duplex in my big back yard, you’ll have no issue with it.
I am curious about the infrastructure. We already have crowded roads and full schools.