SAN DIEGO — A family in Clairemont Mesa East is seeking answers as to why the permitting process for a granny flat on their property has been held up in stagnation for years. CBS 8 is Working For You to find out the reasons for the delays.
“It’s almost two-and-a-half going on three years. The problem is we just don’t know what’s going on whatsoever,” said Paul Post, who has lived in his home on Aveley Place for 32 years with his wife.
The original idea was to build an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) next to their existing home, so their daughter could move in and live next to them. To get the project going, they hired a neighbor to do the job.
“It would go right here next to their other house," said Peter Scott, who lives across the street. "It’s going to be another 1200-square-foot house right here for her and her boyfriend.”
Scott is a general contractor who drew up the plans for a single-story ADU. CBS 8 checked the permit application on the Development Services website. It was originally submitted on May 10, 2022.
“Unless you’re a developer or famous, nobody’s paying attention to you, so we’ve done everything the way it’s supposed to happen," said Scott. "They tell us to do this, we do this. They tell us to do that, we do that. I mean we’ve gone through the process, and all we’re trying to do is be legal.”
Two-and-a-half years later, they’re no closer to breaking ground. Post told CBS 8 he refinanced his home to pull out a quarter-million dollars in equity to pay for construction costs. He said they've already sunk in $50,000 at this point to have the initial plans drafted and for other various costs associated with the project.
“Now we’re paying an extra $2,000 a month alone, and it’s hardship and it’s ridiculous,” said Post.
CBS 8 reached out to the City of San Diego’s Development Services about the permit application.
A spokesperson told us, "For every project, the Development Services Department keeps a timeline of progress for permitting. Based on the timeline for this specific project, it appears the majority of the delays were on behalf of the applicant and that the project needed to be resubmitted multiple times due to incomplete plans and non-response to comments."
CBS 8 shared the City's response with Scott.
“That’s actually not true. Every time they gave us a correction to do, we jumped through hoops to get that question answered as soon as possible," said Scott. "You treat it like a ‘hot potato.’ You don’t want to be caught holding up the project.”
A spokesperson for the city told CBS 8 that the average processing time for an ADU permit is 217 days.
"The City has asked CBS8 to allow additional time for staff to investigate what caused the delays on behalf of the applicant," said the spokesperson for Development Services.
Meanwhile, Post and his wife are hoping they can move forward on the project soon.
“I just want an answer, I don’t want anything free," said Scott. "I just want something done where we can actually get it done, that’s all.”
San Diego's Development Services Department encourages applicants to utilize their educational resources and personalized assistance such as the free virtual services at https://www.sandiego.gov/development-services/virtual-appointments.
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