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Planning staff’s ADU amendments recommended to Planning Commission; commissioners press for objective design standards
Summary
The commission recommended approval of amendments to allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in new construction and to expand ministerial (no‑waiver) approvals but requested robust objective architectural standards and clarifications on historic resources, demolition triggers and parking implications before full implementation.
On March 6 the Historic Preservation Commission reviewed proposed amendments to the San Francisco Planning Code that change how accessory dwelling units (ADUs) are handled, and voted to recommend the ordinance and staff modifications to the Planning Commission.
Staff presentation: Veronica Flores (Planning Department) summarized key changes: ADUs would be allowed in new construction for both the waiver and no‑waiver programs; certain ADUs in the no‑waiver program would be ministerial (no neighborhood notification) even when they include expansions; staff proposed a 1,200 gross‑square‑foot cap for ADUs created by alterations (not new construction), a reduced usable open space requirement of 125 sq ft for some zoning districts, and a carve‑out so that properties on the California Register or designated in Articles 10/11 would be reviewed by staff under objective architectural standards rather than by discretionary certificate processes.
Commissioner concerns: Commissioners extensively questioned how ministerial review for new single‑family construction would operate in historic districts, how demolition or subdivision would trigger different review, whether objective standards were adequate for new construction in landmark districts, and whether legalization and enforcement pathways for pre‑existing units (the legalization program) were clearly differentiated. Staff clarified that the state law requires objective, measurable standards for ministerial ADU review, that a separate legalization program exists for pre‑2013 units, and that some ADU approvals would still require planning commission review when demolition or conditional uses are triggered.
Vote and next steps: The commission moved to recommend approval of the ADU planning code amendments to the Planning Commission and unanimously approved the recommendation. Staff will continue to develop objective architectural review standards (to be considered at a subsequent hearing) that would govern ministerial ADU approvals in historic districts and to refine language on new construction and demolition triggers.
Provenance: ADU presentation began at SEG 2320 and the recommendation vote occurred at SEG 2879.
