Whittier : Council Passes 45-Day Ban on Building Guest Houses

City officials have passed a 45-day moratorium on the construction of guest houses to allow a study of tighter regulations for their construction and use.

For more than a year, the city has been trying to solve the problem of illegal, substandard rental units that are often located in converted garages or guest houses.

The council, at its meeting last week, / also voted to have a public hearing Dec. 15 on the issue.

Regulations covering guest houses include only minimal restrictions on their size and do not strictly control their rental as apartments.

Many of the problems would be solved if the guest houses were limited in size, Assistant Planning Director Mike Burnham said.

“The smaller they are, the less apt they are to be used on a permanent basis,” he said. “They are less rentable.”