A Quiet Street Under Siege by the City's ADU Bonus Program

Thanks to the City of San Diego’s aggressive use of state density laws, a modest residential street is being transformed into a congested, under-parked development zone — with no meaningful input from neighbors.

A suburban house with a white exterior, front porch, and a well-maintained lawn with a sidewalk. There are trees in the yard, a parked car on the street, and neighboring houses in the background.

What’s Proposed at Morrell Street?

On just two residential lots, the developer is proposing a 30-unit complex with only 9 off-street parking spaces. This is not a thoughtful or sustainable use of land — it’s a blatant abuse of the Bonus ADU program, which is intended to create gentle density, not full-scale apartment complexes in single-family zones.

  • Location: Morrell Street, Pacific Beach

  • Units: 30 total — using bonus accessory dwelling units (ADUs)

  • Parking: Just 9 spaces for 30 units

  • Zoning: Grossly incompatible with neighborhood scale and infrastructure

Key Concerns.

Why NFABC Strongly Opposes This Project

  • Overuse of ADU Bonuses:
    This project hijacks a well-meaning law to build oversized, multi-family structures in areas never intended for such scale.

  • Parking Crisis in the Making:
    With only 9 parking spots for 30 households, overflow onto narrow residential streets is guaranteed.

  • Destroys Neighborhood Character:
    This dense cluster of units will completely change the feel and function of a quiet street, making it less livable for current and future residents.

  • No Local Oversight:
    Projects like this are being rushed through using by-right state approvals — silencing neighbors and ignoring community plans.

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From Gentle Density to Full-Blown Exploitation

This isn’t about saying no to housing — it’s about saying yes to responsible, community-minded growth. The Morrell Street project is a clear example of how a well-intentioned law can be exploited to bypass common sense, safety, and public process.

If projects like this are allowed to move forward unchecked, more neighborhoods will suffer the same fate.