By Edward Booth, Napa Valley Register, September 29, 2021
“SB 9 makes it so homeowners can split single-family lots and convert homes into duplexes, up to a total of four residential units.
“Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley published an analysis in July examining the number of homes SB 9 could feasibly build. According to the report’s findings, the law will result in about 714,000 new homes becoming financially feasible to build — around 5.4 percent of the state’s 7.5 million single-family lots […]
“Napa County’s share of those market-feasible units is about 5,000, out of 31,248 existing single-family lots in the county, according to the analysis. The city of Napa’s share of market-feasible units is about 2,700. Compared to the other California counties, Napa is about in the middle of the high end in proportion of market-eligible lots — hitting 0.19 net market-feasible units per eligible lot, compared to California’s rate of 0.12 — with similar results as Marin, Mendocino, Santa Cruz, and Madera counties.
“Planning divisions in Napa municipalities are currently trying to understand the new housing laws and how they might be applied, said city of Napa senior planner Michael Walker. The city, he added, will likely try to set up objective standards to allow for the ministerial approval process of the SB 9 units.
“Walker added that SB 9 units could eventually roll out in Napa along a timeline similar to ADUs.”
Read the full article here. (~5 min.)