Simi Valley Council Grapples with New State Laws on Second Dwelling Units
By Debra Tash
The Simi Valley City Council Meeting passed an emergency ordinance to ease up on permitting standards by amending: “Title 9 of the Simi Valley Municipal Code related to second dwelling units to bring Title 9 into conformance with State of California Government Code Sections 65582.1, 65852.2, and 65852.22.”
They divided these units into two categories: Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU), detached buildings like a granny flat or guest house, and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (JADU) which is the conversion of some portion of an existing single family home. This would include a garage conversion into a living space.
Last September, to help alleviate the severe housing shortage in the state, Governor Brown signed into law three bills, SB 1069 and AB 2299 which deal with second dwelling units (ADU). In addition to SB 1069 and AB 2299, Governor Brown also signed AB 2406, a bill encouraging construction of Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit (JADU) as an additional type of housing. All three laws took effect on January 1 2017.
The City already allowed mistrial, over the counter, approval for these units on large lots. However, it did not allow those units on smaller ones without a Conditional Use Permit (CUP), which can be quite costly and time consuming.
The Planning Commission gave the Council nine recommendations to help align the City with the new state mandate:
California’s cities can still require setbacks for new ADU’s but they cannot charge utility fees. The units can be placed on any lot with a single family home irregardless of density, and if there is a bus stop within a half mile walking distance to the new unit no parking is required. The City mapped out where those residential areas within walking distance to public transit are within Simi Valley:
A garage can be converted, or built on top of it. If the garage is converted to a JADU the enclosed parking must be replaced with one space if not near public transit. It can be uncovered or tandem, or even a space in front of the former garage.
The Council wanted to minimize impacts on existing neighborhoods with some architectural concessions consistent with that neighborhood.
Councilmember Mike Judge commented that it was a good move to provide housing to older people or those with adult children still at home.
The council voted 5 to 0 to adopt the new standards. You can review the staff report: Staff.Report.Second.Unit For more detailed information on SB 1069 and AB 2299 visit – SB 1069 – AB 2299:
The Council also voted 5 to 0 to extend their temporary moratorium on recreational/commercial marijuana uses in the city for another ten months.
Debra Tash is Editor-in-Chief of Citizensjournal.us, past president for Citizens Alliance for Property Rights, business executive and award-winning author, residing in Somis.
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Having just turned in my neighbor directly across from my home for having two granny flats I can tell you how this is not good for the rest of the neighbors. They have turned their home into a business. I have lived in my home for 40 years and have had to deal with them using their garage for machine shop business, gun repair business which meant guns and rifles constantly going from in front of my home and then a music instrument repair business.
Then when the owner passed away they turned the two garages into granny flats. This is supposed to be a single family homes. I hope this is resolved. I was told that the old garage was not a granny flat because it did not have a stove but if I found out it does to contact City Hall and then they would do something. Now there are 73 pictures proving what they have done.
Requiring owners to live in their homes until death is a whole new twist on government control of one’s property. Guess it’s time to get Granny on the Gurney and roll her back home where she can no longer get the care for which she thought her property would pay.