Coastal Commission vote gives Monterey County the greenlight to allow more ADUs.

A ban on accessory dwelling units in North County’s coastal zone is now lifted, after the California Coastal Commission voted 9-0 on Friday, Oct. 10 in favor of an amendment to the County of Monterey’s local coastal plan. The vote will allow more ADUs and junior ADUs in other coastal areas, with limitations to protect coastal resources.

“I cannot tell you how excited I am,” Martha Chavarria, president of the North Monterey County League of United Latin American Citizens and a member of the North Monterey County Unified School District board, said ahead of the unanimous vote.

“The current housing crisis is not an abstract issue. It directly affects the stability, health and educational success of our community,” she said, adding that in her community, 80 percent of students are considered low income and 30 percent are designated as homeless. She called allowing ADUs a “practical, community-based solution.”

Others told the commission that the county's new ADU ordinance would help families remain together, as a way to house aging parents or children who cannot afford the cost of housing.

Under the previous county ordinance, ADUs and JADUs were not allowed in the North County region due to water issues—the area’s water comes from overdrafted groundwater aquifers. The updated ordinance allows the units to be constructed, as long as the property’s structures use water conservation fixtures and any irrigated ornamental landscaping is switched to drought tolerant plants.

The ordinance also eliminates a requirement that homes in the unincorporated Carmel area have 40 acres in order for an ADU or JADU to be constructed.

(ADUs can be attached or detached and must have their own kitchen and bathroom facilities, plus their own air circulation. JADUs are fully contained within the walls of a single-family residence and may share a bathroom and kitchen, although they must have their own efficiency kitchen. The main portion of the home must be owner occupied and the units are deed restricted.)

Patte Kronlund, executive director of the Community Association of Big Sur, said CABS supported the changes, such as the elimination of a cap of 50 ADUs in Big Sur, 2-acre minimum parcel size, streamlined permitting process and prohibiting rentals of less than 90 days to prevent short-term rentals, among other changes.

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors approved the changes in February with a 5-0 vote, in order to conform to state laws designed to encourage the construction of more ADUs and JADUs. The commission vote was required to amend the county’s local coastal plan.

Other changes to the ordinance include allowing ADUs up to 1,200 square feet in the Carmel, Del Monte Forest and North County areas and up to 1,000 square feet in Big Sur. Previously ADUs were only allowed up to 800 square feet.