SF Lawmakers Vote To Waive Fees For Property Owners Building In-Law Units
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN/CBS SF) -- San Francisco supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved an ordinance making it easier for property owners to build in-law units or granny flats on the properties of single-family homes.
Under the ordinance, authored by Supervisor Gordon Mar, fees for building inspections, plan review , records retention and site surcharge would be waived for accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, projects on property designated for single-family homes.
With single-family homes representing 31 percent of the city's housing stock, Mar said the ordinance has potential to impact the housing shortage.
"In single family neighborhoods, ADUs are a critical strategy to mitigate the current housing crisis by increasing density while improving economic diversity by including more renters and people who would otherwise be priced out with minimal change to the physical character of our neighborhoods," Mar said. "By waiving building permit fees on ADUs, we are incentivizing homeowners to expand affordable housing opportunities and support extended families and seniors with mobility and caretaking needs."
If approved by Mayor London Breed, the ordinance would be retroactive to January and would last through June 2023.
According to Mar, because 75 percent of the city's single family homes are located in southern and western neighborhoods like Visitacion Valley, Portola, the Excelsior, Parkside and the Sunset, waiving fees for ADUs could help homeowners across all incomes.
Ozzie Rohm, cofounder of the San Francisco Land Use Coalition, said, "For too long ADU construction projects have been mostly undertaken by LLCs and businesses that have the means to pay for them regardless of the costs. This ordinance will level the playing field for families with modest income who wish to carve out an in-law (unit) on their properties."
Mar's ordinance builds on previous legislation that have helped make the construction of ADUs easier in recent years, including a one-year fee waiver pilot program that ended last year.
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