People living in a Clairemont neighborhood have posted unofficial signs reading “No ADU parking” near a newly built accessory dwelling unit development.
The signs appeared on Shoshoni Street, where 13 accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, were completed earlier this spring. They are still unoccupied.
Homeowners who support the signs say they are intended to warn prospective renters about limited parking in the area. “That’s not an ADU. That’s an apartment complex,” said Vida Gomez who lives a few doors down in the cul-de-sac.
The signs were not approved by the city of San Diego nor any government agency, although they resemble official parking notices.
“(The signs) are letting people know if you move here, you’re going to have a problem parking. It’s not a threat, it’s just a warning that parking is hard here,” Gomez told NBC 7, Friday.
Beatriz Orozco is Gomez’s long-time neighbor across the street.
“I feel frustrated because we made a complaint before they started building the apartments. They (didn’t) do anything. Now the apartments are built, and they (city authorities) don’t have any solutions,” Orozco said.
The development has become a focal point in a broader debate over San Diego’s bonus ADU program, which allows homeowners to build additional units under certain conditions, including requirements aimed at serving low-income renters.
Questions remain about whether the signs can be enforced. While neighborhood signs posted by residents are common, the notices are not official city parking regulations.
Members of the Clairemont Mesa Community Planning Group, which advises the city on ADUs and other neighborhood issues, have expressed concerns about the message the signs send.
“The ADUs that have already been built, have already been built. So, we need to be welcoming of the people who live here. I don’t think it’s a good representation of our community to be exclusive in that way,” said Eadie DeMarcus, a Clairemont homeowner and member of the advisory group.
Let’s make it fair for everybody, so you can have a place to live and also you can have a place to park.
Beatriz Orozco, Clairemont homeowner
Orozco said she believes both housing and parking concerns should be addressed.
“Let’s make it fair for everybody, so you can have a place to live and also you can have a place to park,” Orozco said.
The city of San Diego has not implemented any formal enforcement to remove the signs in Clairemont. Similar signage has also recently appeared in Ocean Beach.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.