No New Guest Homes Will Be Allowed in DB

Diamond Bar property owners may have to wait close to a year to build guest homes or second units because of a moratorium placed on building permits.

On July 17, the City Council extended a moratorium, first approved on June 19, for another 10 months and 15 days to allow the city staff to look over and update the ordinance that governs the construction of additions.

The city initially put a 45-day moratorium in place after staff learned that a real estate investor had applied for several permits to add guest homes to properties along Fallow Field Drive.

Allowing so many second units to be built was a problem, “due to relatively lax development standards for those particular land uses,” said Greg Gubman, Community Development Director.

The staff needs time to complete new permanent regulations that would set the standards that would preserve the character of the neighborhoods in which they are located, Gubman said.

As of last month, one guest house has been completed while another was under construction on a second property, Gubman said.