by Chrissa Olson
To help Hermosa Beach meet a state mandate to build 558 low to moderate-income residential units by 2029, the City Council revised its accessory dwelling units (ADUs) ordinance during its June 13 meeting.
In 2022, Hermosa issued 14 ADU building permits. But none were for low to moderate income, Community Development Director Carrie Tai said this week.
The ordinance revisions included relaxed height restrictions, allow rooftop decks, and allow more than one ADU per property. Under the previous ordinance ADU rooftop decks were prohibited, and only JADUs (junior accessory dwelling units) were allowed if a property already had an ADU.
(An ADU is an attached or detached residential unit of not more than 850 sq. ft. with a kitchen and bathroom, located on the lot of an existing primary residence. A junior accessory dwelling unit (JADU) is a unit within a single-family residence, which may share kitchen and bathroom facilities, and is a maximum of 500 sq.ft.)
The Hermosa Beach Planning Commission recommended, during its May 15 meeting, allowing a second ADU in place of a JADU in response to property owners’ requests.
The planning commission opposed allowing ADU rooftop decks to keep down costs and noise.
However, Councilmember Rob Saemann argued during the June 13 meeting that a rooftop deck may be cheaper to build than a roof. Saemann is a residential contractor, and former Hermosa planning commissioner.
He added ADU’s should not be prohibited from having rooftop decks because of noise. “Noise is noise,” he said, regardless of the source.
“We have a lot of envious residents in neighboring cities [that don’t permit rooftop decks],” Mayor Raymond Jackson said during the city council meeting. “I agree with Director Tai. It’s a matter of quality of housing. If someone wants to put a rooftop on their ADU consistent with the underlying zone, they should be permitted to do that.”
During public comments to the council, two residents said rooftop decks would create more open space and allow for higher quality housing.
Hermosa Beach is the 22nd densest city in California, according to TownCharts. The 1.4 square mile city has 13,834 residents per square mile, according to the 2020 United States Census.
Hermosa Beach has frequently revised its ADU and JADUs ordinance in response to direction from the California Department of Housing and Community Development, or HCD.
Prior to Jan 1, 2020, Hermosa Beach restricted ADUs and JADUs to lots larger than 4,000 sq.ft, which accounted for fewer than half of Hermosa’s residential lots. Now all lots are eligible for ADUs and JADUs.
“It just comes down to if you can fit it on the lot,” Assistant City Planner Johnathon Masi said.
“This is motivated by a state change in our arena,” planning commissioner Peter Hoffman said of the planning commission’s recommended changes to the ADU ordinance during the May 16 meeting.
“There’s no public incentive to dramatically increase the density. This will enable it, and we’re forced to do so, from my perspective, by the State. I know there are individuals in town who disagree with me, but my finger to the wind sense is the vast majority of people in Hermosa are not anxious for the city to become much denser.” ER
