San Diego’s scramble to rewrite its generous “bonus” accessory dwelling unit incentives left a brief summer loophole, and a few savvy developers took full advantage. In that narrow window, several large backyard apartment projects sailed through city review under the old rules, a move neighbors and permit hawks say could drop dozens of rental units into single family neighborhoods across the city.
The City Council voted 5–4 on June 16 to dial back the Bonus ADU program and cap how many units could be stacked on single family lots, according to KPBS. The council adopted the ordinance on July 22, and the City Planning Department’s adopted code updates show most of the changes took effect Aug. 22 outside the Coastal Zone, adding new limits on height, parking and setbacks, plus lot size based caps.
Which Projects Slipped In
A tracking list put together by Neighbors for a Better San Diego and reviewed by local reporters highlights several big proposals that were deemed complete before the rollback kicked in. The list flags sizable filings in Encanto, Pacific Beach, North Park, Linda Vista and the College Area. The San Diego Union-Tribune published a rundown of those applications and the neighborhood group’s tracking work.
Neighbors for a Better San Diego says its 2025 bonus ADU tracking showed the year running ahead of 2024 through August, and warned that only projects “deemed complete” before Aug. 22 would be grandfathered under the old rules, according to Neighbors for a Better San Diego. The group explains that “deemed complete” status means the City Manager has determined an application includes all required materials, fees and deposits.
Who Is Behind the Biggest Builds
Several of the largest backyard projects have been traced to local developer Christian Spicer and his firm SDRE, which critics say has pursued tightly clustered ADU projects in multiple neighborhoods. SDRE’s Chalcifica project and other big filings have drawn protests and a lawsuit in Pacific Beach, as reported by the Times of San Diego, and industry profiles, including one in CityBiz, describe how the company scaled up to pursue ADU clusters. The developer and his firm say they are following city rules and will include deed restricted affordable units where required…