Lot Splitting in California with SB9

[Andrew J Griggs]

I am considering using SB9 to split my 1/4 acre lot into two lots. We converted an existing garage on the back half of the property into an ADU and via SB9 I would be able to add an additional unit next to the ADU. The downside of this idea is the 40% rule of SB9 which requires the proposed lot to be 40% of the existing lot. The way the current main house sits, the lot line would be very close, about twelve feet away taking up much of the backyard from the main house. I plan to keep these units long-term. My question would be is it worth losing the backyard of the main house to construct an ADU on the back lot leaving a very small amount of backyard for the main house? Or, is there any problem keeping the two lots separate with a fence that is not on the lot line?