Vista, Del Mar tackle ADUs

Vista looks at cutting costs and red tape for construction; Del Mar adds more incentives in hopes of adding more units to the market

Vista and Del Mar addressed different aspects of their accessory dwelling unit policies earlier this month. Courtesy image

COUNTY — Adding housing through accessory dwelling units is a big tool for most cities.

It’s no different for Vista and Del Mar as those cities each addressed the issue this month. In Vista, Councilman Dan O’Donnell pitched allowing ADUs to incorporate up to three bedrooms and pre-approved floor plans, while the Del Mar City Council approved incentives to add low- and very-low-income units into their housing stock.

In Del Mar, one of the goals is to build 15 affordable units by allowing the construction of an ADU, which then the homeowner can then add 500 square feet to their existing structure.

ADUs can be built quicker than a typical development, O’Donnell said, but the city’s current ordinance only allows for up to two bedrooms. State law allows ADUs to be up to 1,200-square feet.

O’Donnell said many people are already using any additional rooms, which are technically a parlor or office, as a third bedroom, so the ordinance should match the use.

“We need to increase our stock for housing,” he said during the Dec. 12 council meeting. “I think a lot of families don’t realize that a two-bedroom can be actually utilized as a three-bedroom, or that we should make it available to be utilized as a three-bedroom.”