Coronado homeowners can now rent out granny flats and other secondary units for as short as 30 days under an updated ordinance adopted by the City Council on Sept. 1.
Last December, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) found the city’s accessory dwelling units (ADU) ordinance out of compliance with state law, citing over 30 sections that needed to be corrected in a letter sent to the city.
HCD officials flagged multiple issues including incorrect government code citations, imprecise terminology, and a failure to allow detached ADUs alongside proposed multi-family housing.
One of the changes implemented with the city’s Sept. 1 ordinance was shortening the rental term from a 6 month minimum to just 30 days.
Council member Carrie Anne Downey explained during the meeting that the city had adopted a minimum 6-month rental term in the past to discourage short-term tenants like Airbnb users.
“The city was trying every way we could to encourage long-term use,” Downey said. “Sadly, the state regulations have now just said, ‘Forget what you’re trying to do.’”
Council member Kelly Purvis agreed with Downey and said that this amendment would “really change” the city’s goal for ADUs, which was to create affordable housing.
I thought we got it just right and I’m really sad that the city has gone this way. But, as Carrie has said, we have to do it. It’s state law.
Council member Kelly Purvis
“I thought we got it just right and I’m really sad that the city has gone this way. But, as Carrie has said, we have to do it. It’s state law,” Purvis said.
The City Council unanimously approved its updated ADU ordinance after more than two dozen revisions were made by staff to bring the local rules into compliance with state law.
According to the letter sent in December, the city had two choices: Amend its ADU ordinance to conform with state law, or adopt the draft as it was written and explain why it believes the rules comply despite the department’s findings.
Richard Grunow, Coronado’s community development director, responded to HCD in a letter agreeing to amend a majority of the issues raised.
However, the city defended its ordinance on three different items.
The city’s draft code said that if someone wants to turn an existing structure into an ADU, it will require pre- and post-construction surveys by a California licensed land surveyor. The state critiqued the city and said it could add “no additional standards,” and that its requirement exceeded its authority.
Grunow’s response was that Coronado was incorporated over 130 years ago and does not have surveys or site plans for many properties, and that the city was unaware of any alternative and reliable methods.
The city also defended its floor area ratio (FAR) limits, which restrict total building square footage based on lot size. Under the city’s code, the combined square footage of a new single-family home and an ADU cannot exceed the lot’s allowable FAR. However, state housing officials said that an ADU is not subject to development standards such as a maximum floor area ratio.
Grunow pointed to Scurlock v. City of Coronado, a case from 2024 that upholds the city’s ordinance. In that case, the court determined that while the city’s rules result in a smaller primary home, it still allows for the ADU, creating a legal “balance between increasing affordable housing and maintaining the character of existing neighborhoods.”
A last rebuttal to HCD’s concerns is around carriage-houses, a second story above a detached garage for properties that have alley access. Coronado pushed back against the state’s demands to eliminate restrictions on carriage-house conversions.
The city had requested further talks with HCD rather than amending its ordinance.
