I have been mulling over this post for a couple of months. That is because it is so distressing. But some things just need to be said. When Paloma Ave. made a comment on the natural gas ban post today, it was the match that lit the fire. Here is his/her/their comment:
I just read in the SF Comicle that Berkeley is now discussing banning single family neighborhoods. Didn't Berkeley start the trend to ban natural gas, which our City Council decided they should also ban? Question to the City Council: Will you also try to ban Single Family Homes in Burlingame? After all, wouldn't that be the woke thing to do?
I'm struck by the follow-the-lemming aspect of it all. Jon Mays at the Daily Journal had an editorial about the follower mindset among city councils here. Jon let these councils off easy by noting "To be clear, the following is not a judgment, but rather an observation." Another observation, mine, would be that city councils need to stand up for their communities even if it means slinging a stone at Goliath. Nowhere is that more important than in the protection of the neighborhoods. Let's face it. The housing thugs in Sacramento are Goliath and they have it in for single family housing. It has been in the works for awhile as I noted here. Personally, I think it is an unhealthy sign of envy, but that is a topic for another day.
What they have already done is today's topic–Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs are coming to a lot near you. The first one in my neighborhood just got into the planning queue. But it's not a restrictive queue. I have it from multiple informed sources that the city has minimal control over ADUs. Sure they can dither over whether 16' or 20" height limits should be imposed, but the bottom line is Sacramento has turned the whole state into R2 zoning with no input from the public.
Some predictions have a very high probability. Here's one. If your residential street has a parking problem now, expect it to get worse in five years. City councils will have to get very smart quickly. Maybe the ADU "granny unit", as they used to be called, really is for granny. Maybe it's a perfect Work From Home office. But maybe it's the AirBnB ticket that helps pay the mortgage and has no effect on local affordability. Maybe your kid will live in it. Maybe all of the above. Anyway you look at it, it's more density and that has ramifications that will reveal themselves as we go.
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