Southern California residents may be more supportive of higher-density housing than in the past as a way to control soaring housing costs, a Zillow survey shows.
The poll shows a majority in Los Angeles and Orange counties support increased construction of backyard cottages, duplexes, triplexes and even apartments in their neighborhoods. The survey comes just as local cities and counties are rewriting housing plans to accommodate a three-fold jump in the region’s housing goals.
The results were part of a representative survey of more than 12,000 adults across 26 U.S. metro areas conducted by Zillow Group Population Science from January through March.
Among the results:
— Eighty-four percent of L.A./Orange County respondents support the addition of duplexes, triplexes and “accessory dwelling units” or ADUs (commonly referred to as casitas, granny flats or mother-in-law units).
— That’s higher than the response rate for all 26 metros, which saw 77% of people supporting these modest densification measures.
— Support was even higher in the Bay Area: 86% of respondents in San Francisco and 88% in the San Jose metro area supported ADUs, duplexes and triplexes. The survey did not include the Inland Empire or the East Bay, however.
— Support in the L.A./Orange County area was slightly higher for ADUs, with 75% of respondents saying they support their development, compared with 67% supporting duplexes and triplexes.
— A slightly smaller majority in the L.A./Orange County area, 63%, support the construction of small- to medium-sized apartment buildings in their neighborhoods. That’s even higher than in the Bay Area, where 58% of San Francisco respondents and 60% of San Jose area respondents were supportive of building apartments in their neighborhoods.
— Since a similar survey was conducted in 2019, homeowners became slightly more likely to agree that they should be allowed to convert their homes to add housing units, growing from 57% in 2019 to70% in 2022, a 13 percentage point increase.
“We are facing a housing crisis that’s touched most communities across the country, pushing housing affordability to the center of the conversation for many,” said Manny Garcia, a population scientist at Zillow. “One of the most effective ways out of this crisis is to build more homes. Modest densification measures, like adding a small apartment in a backyard or converting existing homes into duplexes, could create millions of new homes.”
The survey comes just as the Southern California region is struggling to ramp up homebuilding to meet a state-mandated goal to plan for 1.34 more new homes by 2030. And it follows California’s approval of new laws allowing up to four housing units on a single-family lot and 10-unit apartment buildings in urban or transit-rich single-family neighborhoods.
It also comes as home prices and rents are surging upwards.
Apartment rents increased 7.7% in L.A. County during the first three months of 2022 and 17% in Orange County, CoStar figures show. CoreLogic figures show median home prices rose 13% in L.A. County in February and 20% in Orange County.
Almost two-thirds of L.A./Orange County respondents agreed that more affordable housing is more important than free parking.
Nationally, more renters than homeowners were likely to support higher density housing: 73% of homeowners supported ADUs, duplexes and triplexes, compared with 84% of renters.
There was a sharper divide over apartment buildings. Just 48% of homeowners supported apartments in their neighborhood compared with 72% of renters.
Younger residents also are more likely to support higher-density housing: 86% of 18- to 42-year-olds support ADUs, duplexes and triplexes, compared with 64% of respondents over 58. Just 40% of those over 58 would support apartment construction in their neighborhoods.
“This survey shows that residents of more than 20 major U.S. metros — including homeowners — understand that building more homes in our neighborhoods is a credible and viable policy tool to increase housing supply and address affordability,” Garcia said.
Nonetheless, neighborhood opposition still abounds to proposed apartments in the region.
About two dozen residents spoke last week in opposition to a five-story, 270-unit apartment building in Fountain Valley, saying the project would worsen traffic and parking problems.
In February, neighborhood leaders in the upscale Rossmoor community expressed concern about Seal Beach’s plans to designate an adjacent 10-acre parcel for low-income housing, according to the Seal Beach Sun.
In addition, cities in Los Angeles and Orange counties sued the state last June, and appealed the suit’s dismissal in January, arguing the region’s 1.34 million state-mandated housing goal should be cut in half.