‘Granny units’ are a great idea — but the Board of Supervisors may ban them in Los Osos

On Jan. 28, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors will vote on permitting accessory dwelling units (ADUs) throughout the county. ADUs are small, permanent living quarters added to an existing homeowner’s lot — sometimes called “granny units.”

The state has mandated that ADU permits be issued with few restrictions as part of an effort to provide affordable housing. And ADUs work (more on how later). Of all the places in the county, only Los Osos is being told that ADUs will not be permitted due to the “inadequacy of water supply.” That reasoning to deny ADU permits is false and misleading, and should not be approved.

We live in Los Osos, a coastal community that grew up without adequate planning. Largely built in the early ‘80s, the community used septic systems for waste disposal. Nitrates from that discharge began to pollute the water supply, so building was stopped until a sewer system was installed. For 20 years the sewer was stalled until the county stepped in and mandated its construction.

Meanwhile, since the upper aquifer was contaminated, water was being pumped from a lower aquifer — actually over-pumped beyond its capacity. Seawater began to seep in, threatening to contaminate that water source as well. So in 2010 the Coastal Commission imposed a condition prohibiting construction on undeveloped properties until both wastewater and water supply issues are not only planned for, but demonstrated to be resolved “based on conclusive evidence.”

That brings us to 2020. Construction has been stopped for 31 long years. But last October the state passed laws requiring that ADUs be permitted. ADUs are not construction on undeveloped properties. They are dwelling units added to previously developed properties. The sewer connections are already in place. And there are existing provisions in the county that address water supply concerns through what is called retrofit.

Retrofit calls for replacing water-inefficient fixtures with more efficient ones to offset the water use. Two gallons of retrofit are required for every one gallon of projected use, so the demand on the water supply is actually reduced. Retrofits have been used in the past in Los Osos and are being used in Nipomo, Paso Robles, and Cambria today. The supervisors could simply allow retrofits for ADUs in Los Osos. It a logical and legal solution to the “inadequacy of water supply issue” — so that issue is really not a valid reason to deny ADUs in Los Osos.

What other reason could there be? At the January 15 meeting of the Los Osos Basin Management Committee meeting, the county representative put forth two additional “justifications” for denying the permits.

First, the county claims the larger restrictions the Coastal Commission imposed are ”nearly resolved.” That is just not true. Yes, two plans are nearing approval (The Community Plan and the Habitat Conservation Plan), but there was no mention that the Basin Management Plan not only needs to be approved, but “new development will not be able to occur until the BMP is full funded and implemented.” There is no funding and no implementation has occurred, and resolution is likely years away. So that argument was false and grossly misleading.

Finally, the county claimed that approving ADUs would be “unfair to the vacant landowners” because they are not seeing any relief. That reasoning is upside down. Absolutely no delay or impact will occur in the landowners’ case if the homeowners are allowed to build ADUs – not one day and not one dollar! What actually is unfair is to continue to deny the current homeowners because the vacant landowners can’t be helped yet. That excuse is just smoke.

Finally let’s talk about why ADUs are important — to all of us.

Consider “Pat” who is a service sector worker in the San Luis area. Pat makes $16 an hour — far enough above minimum wage to not qualify for subsidies. Pat grosses $2,500 a month and takes home $2,250. He/she lives in a modest one bedroom apartment which costs $1,400 a month. With services (electricity, gas, water, phone) the “nut” comes to $1,650. That’s 73% of take-home pay. Add to that transportation, car insurance, health insurance (these jobs don’t come with benefits) and there’s literally not enough left to eat! So Pat either gets a second job, or takes in a roommate (in a one-bedroom place), or relies on family for help. That’s the harsh reality in San Luis Obispo.

So how does an ADU help? A 600-square-foot ADU is like a modest, one-bedroom apartment. In our case, at today’s low interest rates, the incremental mortgage cost for the ADU is about $700 per month. And since the services (gas, water, power) are shared with the main house, Pat could save half the nut every month, and we would be cash-neutral. ADUs really do work!

Not everyone will choose to build an ADU. The existing property has to have sufficient area and the owners must be willing to give up that area. So there won’t be so many ADUs that the character of our towns will change. The state has written the ADU laws specifically to promote much-needed housing for low-wage workers. We should embrace them — not deny them.

I am asking two things of supervisors on Sept. 28. Pass the revised ordinance that allows ADUs in the county — we really do need the housing. And do not deny Los Osos the right to participate. The reasons given for denial are bogus excuses, and (if you’ll pardon the double meaning) they just don’t hold water.

Peter McAdam lives in Los Osos and hopes to build an accessory dwelling unit on his property.

This story was originally published January 23, 2020 at 4:26 PM.