Willow Glen Resident
News
City seeks community input on its secondary-unit program
By Emilie Crofton
Residents' worries of too many cars and overcrowding triggered by a surge in applications for secondary units have never materialized.
Since San Jose launched its secondary unit pilot program in January 2006, only 67 applications have been submitted. The bulk of the applications, 21, have been requested from homeowners in District 6. Of the 67 applications, 43 secondary units have been approved and 14 have been constructed.
With such a small response, the city is reaching out to the community for further input.
San Jose senior planner Carol Hamilton met with a small gathering of homeowners on Aug. 16 at the West Valley Library Branch about the potential to make the secondary-unit ordinance permanent.
"It's a great idea," San Jose resident Henry Castillo said after the meeting. "Secondary units could be used to house caregivers, family members, or to rent out for supplemental income."
Not everyone agreed. Some worried a permanent ordinance would lead to excessive traffic and cars and decreased parking.
One man said, "We have a responsibility to think of our neighbors and work together. This program gets away from that."
A number of people didn't understand why the city was pushing the program since there was so little interest.
But Willow Glen resident Brad Imamura said, while he understood the concern over increased cars and limited parking, he didn't think the approval of the program would cause any drastic changes. He said the program had merit.
"So many people can't afford their own place with housing prices as high as they are," Imamura said after the meeting. "Even if the unit is not for family, they are still providing housing for others."
Yet he acknowledged that some property owners have been turned off by the guidelines the city established.
The city requires that the secondary unit cannot exceed a height of 16 feet, the one bedroom can be no larger than 400 square feet, and the homeowner must provide one on-site parking space.
The property must be a minimum 6,000 square feet for an attached unit or 8,000 square feet for a detached unit. In addition, windows in secondary units cannot look into adjacent properties. Property owners must also certify that they occupy their existing house at the time they apply for a permit.
The city wanted feedback for possible guideline changes.
Recommended changes included increasing the allowed height of the detached units by 1 to 2 feet and to change the restriction on windows to clarify that this does not apply to adjacent nonresidential properties.
There was also discussion about whether owners of secondary units should be required to pay park fees if the ordinance became permanent.
"I'm not worried about the increased traffic or people," Castillo said, "but I dislike the park fee."
Others said the city should reduce the park impact fee.
In the past, significant interest in the program came from Willow Glen residents because many of the neighborhoods have deeper lots where detached secondary units are a workable option.
The city has extended the program twice to encourage applications. The current extension ends Oct. 31.
The next step is for the San Jose Planning Commission and City Council to consider the issue of a making the ordinance permanent. That is tentatively planned for September.
To obtain a permit application and general pilot program information and updates, visit www.sanjoseca.gov/planning.
To ask staff about application criteria or requirements, or to receive program updates and information, call 408.535.7801 or e-mail second ary.units@sanjoseca.gov.
