By Neighbors for a Better San Diego / July 22, 2025. 
The City Council gave its final approval (second reading) of the revised ADU regulations. While the amendments could have gone further, they do provide meaningful reductions in the scale of Bonus ADU projects, as well as recognize and clarify that ADU developments have other legal constraints, such as limits on building on steep hillsides and in fire hazard zones.
The vote was 5 to 1 in favor**, with three Councilmembers not present.
For more details on the changes, click here.
What’s next?: The ordinance next goes to Mayor Gloria. Given that the Mayor highlighted the adopted regulations in his June 23 newsletter, we expect that he will sign them without undue delay.
When will the new regulations go into effect?: After the Mayor signs the ordinance, it will take about 30 days to go into effect, which could be late August or early September. These changes will require approval by the Coastal Commission before they become effective there.
What about projects already in the pipeline?: Unfortunately, the new regulations do not apply retroactively, so any projects that have already been approved under the old regulations will be allowed to continue, except in cases where the old regulations were not properly followed.
How did this happen? In reaction to the growing excesses of the Bonus ADU program, groups sprang up across San Diego, including Encanto, Linda Vista, Clairemont, Pacific Beach, University City, and the College Area, to protest the negative impacts of these projects. This gave a human face to the proposals put forth by Neighbors For A Better San Diego, the Community Planners Committee, and the San Diego Community Coalition. The totality of these grassroots efforts made it impossible for the Council to ignore the problems with ADUs any longer.
**Editor’s Note: Councilmembers Jen Campbell, Raul Campillo, Henry Foster III, Joe LaCava, and Marni von Wilbert voted in favor. Councilmember Vivian Moreno voted against. Councilmembers Sean Elo-Rivera, Kent Lee, and Stephen Whitburn would have voted against ADU reform, but they didn’t show up at the meeting.
Whitburn is a coward. No future for cowards.
Wait a second. You mean the City Council is listening to the concerns of its constituents ? Is today the Brand New Day? I envision a time and place where this is the baseline standard, and the TRUTH is shared BY the leaders, who listen and take action on the concerns of the community. I hope to play a roll in making that vision a reality. #TotalTransparency Teaching everyone how to find the info they need to understand the decision making and easily identify the issues.
While I applaud those who voted in favor, Vivian Moreno at least deserves credit for showing up. The no-shows want to suck up to developers in private (because that’s who funded their campaigns–seriously, look up Elo-Rivera’s donors) all the while dodging the wrath of their constituents. Spineless men.