California’s Granny Flat Boom Isn’t Filling the Affordable Housing Gap

The construction of so-called granny flats—known as accessory dwelling units, or ADUs—has increased from just 1 percent of California’s new permitted construction in 2016 to one in every five new homes last year, according to recent data. Nearly 23,000 ADUs were built last year, according to the state Department of Finance, increasing California’s total by 10 percent. The units have become popular because they increase property value and add space or a place to escape, homeowners say. Los Angeles County homeowner Sicola Elliott converted her garage into a two-bedroom ADU, which she plans to rent to her kids. “The housing market is so crazy, we wonder where would they ever rent their first apartment, or even be able to move out and not struggle? If you’re going to pay somebody else’s rent, might as well pay this rent,” she told EpochTV’s “California Insider.”...