MOORPARK : Garage Conversion Rules May Be Eased

As part of a compromise in its crackdown on overcrowding, the Moorpark City Council tonight will consider allowing sleeping quarters in former garages if the garage conversions were done before the city incorporated in 1983.

Steep rents and the lack of affordable housing in the city have led many residents to convert their garages into living quarters for renters or family members.

City officials have been trying to deal with the problem for several years.

The ordinance set to be considered tonight would “grandfather” illegal conversions before incorporation. The rule would require that a garage be converted back to its original use upon the sale of a home.

The new ordinance would allow other conversions that lack permits to remain if the owner agreed that the converted garage would not be used for sleeping quarters.