All Forum Posts by: Colin L.

 So they should work for free?

@David Yee SB9 allows for lot splits but there are a lot of limitations. If you call Poway planning dept they are very helpful. Or if your’d like I’d be happy to take a look if you send me the address.

@Aaron Friberg if your lot is zoned for multi family then you are most likely allowed more than 12 units. There are so many different options today in SD for adding density beyond the base zoning (state density bonus law, ADU bonuses, complete communities) I think having architect is essential at this stage to help you navigate all of those options. But I'd say that's just 1/2 of the equation, the other 1/2 is knowing what to do with the info you get from the architect. For instance a lot of MF projects you see going up right now are 4-7 stories but a lot of them could actually be taller, however going taller means all concrete which is way more expensive than wood framed or podium building.

Same with parking. There are no parking minimums in most of mid-city neighborhoods but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to do no parking. So again, your architect is going to show you how many spaces he/she can reasonably fit, but its up to you how many to actually build to make the project successful.

 No problem.  California is looking into revising building codes to allow taller buildings with 1 stair, which would unlock a lot of value on small lots like this. 

36 units on a 3,000 lot would be very very difficult and expensive. For reference, I am working on a 4-story 22 unit project on a 4,500 SF lot and it is TIGHT and units are small. The biggest hurdle will be that anything taller than 3 stories requires 2 stairs w/ connecting corridor, so a significant percentage of your footprint will be stairs/corridor.  Over 4 stories add an elevator. Somebody creative could still make something work on a site that small but it probably will end up being on the smaller side.  

It wasn't really the record year they thought it would be and looks to be fewer in the pipeline this year. Only 4,839 homes were issued permits in 2022.

https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2023/08/23/new-apartme...

Just my opinion but based on that I just don't see rents softening up much except in the few areas like downtown where they are building a lot.

@Alex U. $275 sounds about right for 3 story wood framed construction in SD.

@Andrew B. I’m guessing this is Sweetwater Water Authority you are dealing with? If so not much you can probably do about the price. Would it be possible to eliminate a plumbing fixture or two to reduce the demand below the threshold requiring the upgrade?

Jonathan is correct in regards to density for your property. If it is RM-1-2 then a 5,000 SF lot will allow for 2 Dwelling Units (5,000 SF lot area / 2,500 SF per unit). However ADU's are counted separately and do not count against your max density.

-You can knock down the garage and build an ADU in the same location regardless of setbacks.

-Since your property is in a multi-family zone, you can convert the garage to an ADU and build 2 additional detached ADU's on the property.

This is the section you want to read to get up to speed on ADU's:

https://docs.sandiego.gov/muni...

City of San Diego is getting worse - per their website it is now taking 42 biz days for intake...that's 42 days from the day you submit to the day somebody actually starts processing it!  Same goes for issuance, that's only 26 biz days, LOL.  That's 68 biz days where no one is actually doing any reviews its just sitting in a pile.