Newport Beach approves Coastal Commission revisions to ‘granny flats’ amendments

Bringing to conclusion a two-year effort to bring the city’s guidelines for accessory dwelling units in the coastal zone in line with the rest of the city, the Newport Beach City Council last week approved amendments that incorporate suggestions recently received from the state Coastal Commission.

Accessory dwelling units, also known as “granny flats,” are loosely defined as small homes or apartments that share a lot with larger, single-family homes. There are currently 97 such units in the city.

The city began loosening restrictions on development of accessory dwelling units in 2017 to come into compliance with changes in state law requiring local jurisdictions to lower barriers for property owners to create affordable housing units.

Additional regulations were changed in 2018, and permitting fees were waived from April 2021 through the end of 2022. Further amendments were made in March 2020.

Those changes included the removal of minimum lot sizes and the expansion of zoning districts to allow for more units. Previously, the city required a minimum lot size of 5,000 square feet for an ADU.

In the most recent Regional Housing Needs Allocation mandate from the state, Newport Beach was required to account for 4,834 new housing units over the next decade and adopted a plan to do so in February. The latest amendments are expected to help meet that goal, according to principal planner Jaime Murillo, who, in response to a question posed by Councilwoman Diane Dixon, said any ADU finalized since June 2021 will be counted toward the RHNA numbers.

Murillo noted coastal resource protection regulations will take priority over any allowances for accessory dwelling units under state law.

Applicants and developers will also be required to show that units they plan to build are safe from potential coastal hazards such as flooding and sea level rise.

Councilwoman Joy Brenner recused herself due to real property interests and Councilman Will O’Neill was absent from discussion. The second reading of the amendments is scheduled for the Newport Beach City Council’s next council meeting on March 8.

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