The City Council is about to gut a housing program in San Diego that works. The irony is this is not because of budget deficits — the program costs taxpayers nearly nothing — but because the program succeeded too well.
The city already lets homeowners build small homes — known as accessory dwelling units — in their backyards. The city’s ADU Home Density Bonus Program lets homeowners build more than normally allowed when they keep some units affordable for middle-income residents.
Since 2021, this approach has created hundreds of affordable homes in neighborhoods that previously excluded renters. Now, the city wants to add restrictions making these projects impossible…