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Planning and Building Agency <br />www.santa-ana.org/pb <br />Item # 28 <br />City of Santa Ana <br />20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701 <br /> Staff Report <br />December 6, 2022 <br />TOPIC: Urgency Ordinance to Amend Article II (Use Districts) of Chapter 41 (Zoning) of <br />the Santa Ana Municipal Code in Compliance with Changes to State Law Pertaining to <br />Accessory Dwelling Units. <br />AGENDA TITLE: <br />Zoning Ordinance Amendment No. 2022-06 – An Urgency Ordinance of the City <br />Council of the City of Santa Ana amending Article II (Use Districts) of Chapter 41 <br />(Zoning) of the Santa Ana Municipal Code Relating to Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) <br />in Compliance with Changes to State ADU Law Enacted Under Assembly Bill 2221 and <br />Senate Bill 897 That Will Take Effect on January 1, 2023 <br />RECOMMENDED ACTION <br />Approve Zoning Ordinance Amendment No 2022-06 and adopt the Urgency Ordinance <br />by two-thirds (2/3) vote to amend Article II (Use Districts) of Chapter 41(Zoning) of the <br />Santa Ana Municipal Code related to accessory dwelling units. <br />EXECUTIVE SUMMARY <br />On September 28, 2022, Governor Newsom signed new housing laws including <br />Assembly Bill (AB) 2221 and Senate Bill (SB) 897, amending state accessory dwelling <br />unit (ADU) law. Both bills will become effective January 1, 2023, at which time the <br />entirety of any local ordinance that does not conform to enacted changes will become <br />null and void. The proposed urgency ordinance will amend several sections of the <br />zoning code to make Santa Ana’s local ordinance consistent with changes to state ADU <br />law. If the ordinance amendments are not adopted by two-thirds (2/3) vote and effective <br />prior to January 1, 2023, the entirety of Santa Ana’s ADU ordinance will be null and void <br />and applications for ADUs and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (JADUs) will be subject <br />to only the minimum development standards included in Government Code section <br />65852.2 et seq. Specifically, staff proposes amendments to SAMC Sections 41-194.1 <br />(Definitions), 41-194.2 (Permitted zones and applicability), 41-194.3 (Development <br />standards), and 41-194.7 (Applicability to other regulations). <br />DISCUSSION <br />ADUs are seen as a critical component in addressing the statewide housing shortage. As <br />such, the California Legislature has enacted bills making changes to state ADU law in <br />nearly every legislative session since 2016. Collectively, the bills have made changes to <br />development and design standards that can be imposed by local agencies, made changes <br />to the number of units that can be constructed on a property, set limits on parking <br />standards and included parking exemptions, required streamlined review processes, and