Rules for Single-Room Occupancy Hotels OKd

In a move aimed at easing rental costs for the working poor, the City Council on Monday approved regulations for the county’s first single-room occupancy hotels.

The council voted 6 to 1 in favor of the hotels, also known as SROs, with Councilman Richards L. Norton dissenting. Norton argued that the regulations do not sufficiently address parking problems that could result from newly constructed SROs.

Unlike traditional rentals, SROs require only a low security deposit to move in, making them desirable for low-income workers who often are unable to come up with the first and last month’s rent and deposits for utilities.

“There’s no major upfront costs, which is what often prevents many people from being able to get into an apartment,” said Larry D. Yenglin, associate planner for the city.

The need for SROs in the city is expected to increase after the financially troubled Santa Ana YMCA, which rents out 83 rooms for $15 or $20 a night, closes next month.

“These people are now displaced and have nowhere else to go,” Yenglin said.

Several development companies have approached city officials about constructing an SRO hotel in the city, prompting the city to come up with the new regulations, which include standards for parking, size of guest units, architectural design and building and fire codes.

One developer, Stephen Quartararo, of Enviroprop Inc. of Long Beach, has approached the city with plans to convert the Civic Center Inn at 811 N. Broadway into an SRO building.

Quartararo’s plan calls for a security facility with 150- and 180-square-foot apartments, a laundry room and other amenities. The project is currently under review by city officials and would have to adhere to the new regulations.

In addition to building code and design standards, the regulations state that SRO hotels cannot be built within 1,000 feet of billiard halls, adult bookstores, or businesses that sell alcoholic beverages.