Editor,
The City Council is considering making it impossible for me and 2,592 other Laguna Beach homeowners to age in place.
I am a senior who wants to stay put in my home in Bluebird Canyon. I plan to add on a small second unit, so a live-in caretaker can help my wife and me when it becomes necessary.
The City Council, which is updating its accessory dwelling unit ordinance to comply with new state laws that make ADUs easier to create, is considering banning accessory units in areas of the city deemed to have “impaired access.” That’s 47% of all single-family homes! That would mean I could not create my caretaker unit and will either have to have caretakers who drive in and out every day and night, or move.
Is the city arguing that “impaired access” streets like mine are so dangerous that we cannot allow more people to live there? Does it mean my adult children can’t move in? Does it mean I cannot develop my property at all? Must I sell my house to only a two-person family? What other kinds of restrictions would this lead to?
I don’t want that, and I don’t want the Council taking my property rights. If you agree, whether you support allowing accessory units or not, please let the Council members know, including coming to the Council meeting on May 8.
Cody Engle, Laguna Beach
We all need help when we’re babies and when we’re really old babies. And in between. Servant quarters for all!
The City of Laguna Beach are professionals when it comes to taking away property rights. The have created their very own little fiefdom and they’re getting greedier because they “need” to spend more of our tax dollars on more erroneous agendas they come up with. We need change to our City Council and our City Manager. We can’t get one without the other.