The average accessory dwelling unit in South Santa Barbara County rents for $2,657 per month, but only 59% of the 738 total are used for rental housing.
About 8% are used for short-term rentals and 24% for home offices, gyms and personal spaces in the city of Santa Barbara.
The data is from a first-of-its-kind survey conducted by the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments in an attempt to track ADUs built throughout the county — where they are located, who they serve, how much they rent for, and a plethora of other demographic information.
“It is somewhat surprising that the higher-cost housing market, South County, uses a smaller portion of its ADU inventory for long-term housing, whereas the more affordable housing market, North County, employs a greater percentage for long-term housing,” said Mike Becker, director of planning for SBCAG.
He, along with Mia Lewis, a transportation planner for SBCAG, worked on the survey, which included results across the county from 252 respondents.
In contrast to the South County, about 77% of North County ADUs are used for rental housing. The average rent is about $1,904 per month, even though units in the North County are larger.
ADUs in the South County and the city of Santa Barbara are more likely to be studio apartments. The North County and the city of Santa Maria have higher percentages of two-bedroom units.
About 47% of the ADUs in Santa Maria have two bedrooms, compared with 9% in Santa Barbara. About 48% of Santa Barbara’s ADUs are studios, compared with only 8% in Santa Maria, according to the survey.
It is significantly more expensive in the South County to build an ADU. According to the survey results, the total cost of construction is about $242,193. In the North County, it is $141,056.
In the South County and the city of Santa Barbara, about 64% and 63% paid for the construction of the ADUs through personal savings. About 22% of Santa Barbara residents took out a loan to pay for the ADU.
In the North County and Santa Maria, about 43% and 39% funded their ADUs in cash. About 37% took out a loan to pay for their ADU in Santa Maria.
The survey was conducted in January and February.
Countywide, about 49% of the ADUs built since 2017 are in garages. About 31% are additions to the home, and another 20% are conversions. About 328 people use them for rental-income purposes. About 32% use them for extra living space for a family member. About 7% are for extra income and 8% to increase the value of the home.
In the South County and Santa Barbara, respectively, about 43% and 42% of ADU builders earn more than $200,000 annually. In Santa Maria, zero respondents reported earning more $200,000, and only 8% in the North County said they earned more than $200,000.
Most of the people who build ADUs, according to the survey, are white. Only 5% of ADU owners in Santa Barbara identified as Mexican-American, while only 3% said they were of other Hispanic or Latino origin. In Santa Maria, 55% identified as Mexican-American and 10% as of other Hispanic or Latino origin.
The survey data also shows who lives in the ADUs. In Santa Barbara, about 32% of the residents are age 65 or older. About 19% are between ages 18 and 29. Another 28% are between ages 30 and 44, and 21% are between ages 45 and 64.
In Santa Barbara, the numbers are reversed.
Only 11% are older than age 65. About 37% are between ages 18 and 29. Another 37% are between ages 30 and 44, and 9% are between ages 45 and 64.
Santa Barbara County Second District Supervisor Laura Capps said ADUs “provide long-term housing, proving that they are an essential part of our housing shortage.”
She said making them accessible and affordable is key.
“It takes a collective effort, landlords and developers included, to address our affordable housing crisis and create a more inclusive Santa Barbara County community,” Capps said. “Additionally, as our county population ages, 1 in 4 will be over 60 by 2030. ADUs are a smart and popular approach for families to live inter-generationally, providing valuable support for loved ones.”
Becker noted that about 700 of the ADUs are lived in rent free, and another 600 are lived in at below-market rents.
“Between the rent-free and below-market ADUs, approximately 1,300 units of housing have been subsidized by the private sector,” Becker said. “This figure likely exceeds the number of subsidized units delivered by the region’s affordable housing developers in the same time frame.”
Becker presented the report at a recent Coastal Housing Coalition cocktail mixer in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone.
“The ones that are not charged rent, it is either friends, family or the owner is living there,” Becker said. “It is not provided by the government; it is provided by the owner of the ADU to a family member. That family member would be living somewhere, so there is a lot of value to this.”
The issue is on the consent calendar for Thursday’s SBCAG meeting in Santa Maria.