San Francisco is considering a plan that would allow accessory dwelling units to be sold as condos.
Supervisor Joel Engardio is pushing the plan and said he believes it's a way to address housing needs in the community.
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WATCH HERE"Elderly folks wonder where they can downsize and age safely in place," he said. "People wonder where they can find room to care for an aging parent or an adult child returning from college, and we have a lot of backyards we can put these ADUs, accessory dwelling units, in the backyard."
Engardio said he sees it as a win-win. It could provide another possible solution to the city's affordable housing crisis and offer current homeowners an opportunity to maximize the use of their property.
"Potentially create generational and family wealth because you could sell part of the condo, or you could sell the unit in the backyard, or you could sell the main house," Engardio said.
He said the proposal would only apply to new construction units in an empty backyard as a way to protect existing tenants.
Lily Wong, with the Sunset Chinese Cultural District, said the proposal could serve as a way to address the housing crisis.
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"We don’t have a silver bullet in addressing the housing crisis in the city, but I think this is a piece that works in alignment with our existing strategies to support the stabilization of our community," Wong said.
San Jose has already adopted a similar proposal, and other Bay Area cities are considering proposals as well.
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SIGN UP Dexter Lim, a real estate agent, said there are some things homeowners may want to consider if the city green-lights the program.
"The city permitting process, which we know can be a lengthy and tricky process, let alone with a lot of additional costs," Lim said.
