Last Monday, the San Diego City Council unanimously approved building code revisions that are intended to limit the number of so-called mini-dorms that some College Area residents, have said are plagues on their neighborhoods.
Under the new law, single-dwelling units in residential zones are limited to six bedrooms on lots less than 10,000 square feet.
The revisions also include a number of specifications about parking. According to law, in campus impact areas, such as College Area, new single-dwelling unit developments with five or more bedrooms must have a minimum of two parking spaces in the garage. Also, the front yard is limited to a maximum of 60 percent pavement and hardscape (for additional parking use) and off-street parking is limited to a maximum of four vehicles per residence.
While council members and residents appear to view these revisions as a small victory in the fight against mini-dorms and the problems they cause, Councilman Kevin Faulconer said the ordeal is a war that's not over yet. He said one of the tools for addressing the problem of rowdy tenants is the $1,000 administrative fine that was introduced on a trial basis last April.
"We're just starting to see the beginnings of (the results from the fines)," Faulconer said. "We've got to hit 'em where it counts: the pocketbook."
Faulconer, who is a former Associated Students president, said the fine will be implemented in beach areas, such as the San Diego State student-heavy neighborhood of Pacific Beach, by August.
Councilman Tony Young said that SDSU was a major part of the situation because the university cannot house all of its students who want housing.
"The bottom line is students need housing," Young said. "I haven't heard where students are going to go; I didn't hear that from SDSU."
SDSU's recently updated Campus Master Plan includes nearly 3,000 beds of on-campus housing, according to the Environmental Impact Report.
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