The single zoning lifestyle Californians have been used to for decades has led to an affordable housing crisis. Renters and future homeowners are having difficulty in finding homes for their families. This situation is about to change with the new Senate Bill 9, which the state government recently passed.
California’s homeowners are now all set to become homebuilders. The only way to relieve the housing shortage is to build more houses. By legalizing the construction of houses, it becomes easier for the homeowners to build and rent out more lots. The new law, which came into action in January 2022, has had mixed reactions over the state. While some welcome the housing bill, others are ready to fight for their tradition.
What Is Senate Bill 9?
Senate Bill 9 is a new housing law passed by California’s state legislature. It enables homeowners to split their single-family residential housing lot into separate units. This, in turn, lets them build more housing units and rent them out to tenants. The bill is passed to bring change to the rising housing crisis in the state.
Senate Bill 9 offers an exciting opportunity for homeowners to build beautiful and affordable housing structures in their backyard. It also aims towards diversifying the housing units in a given area. The bill has been applied to all cities and counties within the state.
The SB 9 bill is known as the California Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency (HOME) act. This duplex bill offers homeowners a legal, streamlined process to divide their urban, single-family residential lot. They can now build additional residential units on their property.
Under this bill, every single-family property owner can now build a second unit within their existing lot. This is a great chance for individuals looking to build a housing unit for their extended family. You can build single-family units, duplexes, and ADUs.
The SB9 bill came into effect on January 1, 2022. While the local governments can impose their restrictions and objective design limitations, they should not directly conflict with the state law.
How Does the SB9 Bill Differ for Regions in Silicon Valley?
California’s SB9 bill gives homeowners more control over their property. With some restrictions on historic districts and disaster-prone areas, the law allows homeowners to build additional housing units. It also allows local governments to impose their objective design standards and limitations. This means that the law can slightly differ between cities. But are the citizens happy with implementing this controversial bill around the state? Here is the general public opinion among some of the urban areas in California.
Palo Alto
In Palo Alto, a single-family zoning unit can now be divided into two lots, with a two-story duplex. Both the lots should at least be 800 square feet wide to be approved without any public review. In simple words, you can now build four housing units in the space of one.
While this sounds like an achievement and a new phase for homeowners, not everyone is delighted with this bill. Most people in Palo Alto believe that financing is a big concern for building additional units. Additionally, they believe it will ruin the culture of neighborhoods and lead to more traffic and chaos in the city.
However, a few citizens have taken the bill positively and are reaping its benefits. Developer Bill Wu is the first person in Palo Alto to divide his lot using the SB9 bill. He believed that projects and laws like this are an essential step towards solving the rising housing crisis in the state. The local government approved the lot split as it met all the criteria. He is ready to live in one and sell the additional housing units to make money for his family.
Los Altos
The local government of Los Altos put in place objective standards helping homeowners get a clear understanding of the city’s developmental expectations. As of January 2022, all the new housing development projects shall be built with respect to these standards. The applicants will have to send a complete application package to the planning division to start the review process. This includes SB9 housing project requirement handouts and resolution no. 2021-57, which establishes objective standards for single-family residences.
The government and the people had a pretty positive outlook towards the bill. They believe that splitting lots and building more units can improve the city’s living standards.
However, the city council did impose a few limitations in Los Altos. The development of the new houses with lot splitting should not demolish more than 25% of the existing exterior structural walls. Additionally, you will require permission to split lots into the areas identified as historical zones, high fire hazard zones, or earthquake fault zones.
Los Altos Hills
The government and the Los Altos Hills residents are not entirely in favor of the SB9 bill. The city council has passed a resolution 18-21, opposing Senate Bill 9. In its resolution, the city council states that the town of Los Altos Hills is uniquely situated in a semi-rural, hillside environment. The town has physical limitations when it comes to zoning.
The city council believes that Senate Bill 9 will harm the local culture and tradition of the town. They stated that the local jurisdictions and their ability to maintain the semi-rural, hillside character to the community are more practical for the people and the environment. The Los Altos Hills city council gave strong statements in opposition to the bill.
The council is also trying to limit the effect of this housing bill. It has urged the community members to come forward and share their opinions with the council. Even though the government won’t be able to deny the bill, they are racing towards limiting its impact. For this, the planning committee crafted an ordinance that offered incentives to homeowners who don’t divide their lots or limit the development options for those who split their backyard.
Saratoga
The city council of Saratoga has publicly opposed Senate Bill 9. The town is known for its tranquil suburb, and additional housing units will impact its rural atmosphere. Both the residents and the council are fighting hard against the newly approved housing bill. The last things that the residents of Saratoga want are duplexes and fourplexes changing their neighborhood.
While the city council and the residents are not against affordable housing, they do believe that this will ruin their history. The suburban community is fighting the state on this law, stating that the building of additional houses would harm the environment. Saratoga is a city of trees, and people would cut down trees in their backyards to build additional units. They believe this will ruin the rural livelihood of the neighborhood.
San Jose
The rising housing crisis in California has also impacted San Jose. It has now become the second most expensive city to rent a place in the United States. Senate Bill 9 is welcomed by both the City council and the residents. The San Jose city council prepared an SB9 urgency ordinance when the state legislature passed the bill. This was done to make its stance clear on the bill and give the residents a better idea of the new housing laws.
The San Jose city council has implemented a few restrictions on the subdivision of lots. The council has limited the subdivision to two units per lot. The ordinance has also clarified how the existing zoning standards apply to the SB9 projects. However, the city is still analyzing how San Jose will implement the new housing laws. Despite an ordinance passed by the council, the residents are still left with many unanswered questions. The residents’ issues include the height limit required for the homes built under SB9 and the areas that will be exempted from these laws.
Can SB9 Bring Change in California’s Rising Housing Crisis?
Senate Bill 9 has been passed by the legislature to reduce the rising house prices in California and increase access to homeownership across the state. More than 100 cities and neighborhoods have opposed the bill and believe it will ruin the environment and neighborhood. But the rising question is whether SB9 will be able to make a dent in the increasing housing crisis?
Most analysts believe that Senate Bill 9 will have a negligible impact on the crisis in the short term. The bill will lead to other financing problems and create chaos in the city. In the current scenario, the changes made to zoning mean very little in reality, considering the number of units that will be built under this law.
If every eligible homeowner chose to develop and split their lots, it would add around 700,000 new housing units across California. That’s just a tiny sliver and would not impact the crisis significantly.
However, in the long term, it can have a positive impact on society. It is high time that the rural areas get familiar with the modernized living conditions. Single-family zoning does not fall in line with the present style of living. Creating more space and houses for the new generation is a step in the right direction. While Senate Bill 9 won’t solve the entire issue on its own, it is a significant first step by the state authorities.
Takeaway
Different regions in Silicon Valley have varying perspectives regarding the new housing bill. While some residents favor building additional housing units and bringing down the rising prices, others believe that it will ruin their culture and neighborhood. The statewide housing bill is facing appreciation and criticism at the same time. The regional ordinances on SB9 are likely to evolve throughout early 2022.
Reach out to us if you are considering splitting your lot and want to know how your town feels about it. We can let you know the best way to go forward.