Are ADUs being built for low income San Diegans? - cbs8.com

San Diego's bonus Accessory Dwelling Unit program is failing to deliver on its promise of affordable housing, according to city records analyzed by CBS8.

The program allows developers to build multiple ADUs on a single property, but requires every other unit to be reserved for affordable rent.

Despite these incentives, developers are consistently choosing to build units targeting higher-income tenants rather than low and very-low income residents.

The issue is evident in San Diego's College East neighborhood, where a developer recently constructed six new ADUs on a lot that previously held just one single-family home.

None of the units in this development, nor in a similar project nearby, are being offered at affordable rates for lower-income residents.

Under the bonus ADU program, developers can designate affordable units at three different income levels, but many are avoiding the lower tiers entirely.

The situation has drawn criticism from neighborhood advocates and city councilmembers, including Councilman Stephen Whitburn, who expressed concerns about the program's effectiveness at a 2022 Land Use and Housing Committee meeting.

For California property developers, the San Diego experience highlights ongoing challenges in balancing density incentives with affordable housing requirements.

While ADU programs across the state aim to address housing shortages, the San Diego case demonstrates how market forces can undermine policy goals when affordable housing mandates are structured as options rather than requirements.