by Eshaan Sarup / Times of San Diego /September 14, 2024
The OB Rag announced the top 3 winners of its “Worst ADU (accessory dwelling unit)” contest, a tongue-in-cheek event meant to raise awareness about what critics deem predatory construction.
While it is legal for homeowners to construct an ADU on their property in San Diego County, some residents argue that these units sacrifice the comfort and aesthetics of neighborhoods.
“I don’t think most people want big ADUs,” said Rag reporter Kate Callen. “I mean the whole, the whole point of the granny flat was maybe a bungalow in your backyard where your elderly mother could live, or where your adult child could live. This (contest) is about what are essentially apartment buildings, and in some cases, mansionettes.”
Residents emailed OB Rag over 50 ADU’s from 20 different neighborhoods. The outlet has a panel of experts who judged the units on size, aesthetics, and neighborhood impacts.
The gold went to a large ADU in the Bay Ho area, which the judges called a “monstrosity.” The ADU crammed 14 units into a single lot, and the judges claimed that the developer is a “notorious neighborhood raider” who threatens nearby residents with lawsuits.
To see the silver and bronze winners — plus a long list of “dishonorable mentions” — readers can head to the OB Rag’s website.
This is an excellent illustration of the disastrous end result of the San Diego City Council’s ridiculous decision to lessen the restriction of the State of California law pertaining to Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). The OB Rag staff did fantastic work for this contest, and the public was equally amazing. While reviewing the many submissions, I realized that my District, D9, had the majority of the submissions. There were 16 addresses listed in the article, seven of which were in District 9. If this alone wasn’t enough to tarnish one’s image of the community they love, District 9 took the Silver and Bronze prizes. I would like to publicly thank the Council President for making District 9 stand out among the other Districts. San Diego’s ADU and JADU policies were made less than the state’s required by the Council President’s leadership, and therefore, he has placed the spotlight of San Diego’s worse ADUs on District 9. I hope those of you in District 9 who have to gaze upon these seven monstrosities every day will write a personal “Thank You” message to our beloved Council President, who represents District 9 as our Councilmember for lowering the standard of servant leadership and lack of Espirit-de-Corps for District 9. Again, a big thank you to the staff of the OB Rag!