SB 1211 for 20-unit apartment in Santa Ana
Own a 20-unit apartment in Santa Ana? SB 1211 lets you stack 13 new units on top of your existing 20: 8 detached + 5 interior. At Santa Ana's median rent of $2,400/mo, that's ~$374K in additional gross annual rent.
The Santa Ana scenario
Picture the typical case: a 20-unit 20-unit apartment on a Santa Ana block built between 1955 and 1975, with surface parking that hasn't been fully utilized in years. SB 1211 turns that parking into 8 detached units plus 5 interior conversions — 13 new doors that didn't exist before 2024.
Santa Ana-specific note: Dense lots; surface parking conversions are the play.
Large multifamily (10+ unit) design playbook
A 20-unit complex is capped at 8 detached ADUs by statute, so the play shifts toward interior conversions: max(1, ⌊units × 25%⌋) = 5 additional units carved from common rooms, oversized lobbies, basement storage, or laundry rooms.
Pro-forma snapshot
| Existing units | 20 |
| Detached ADUs (SB 1211) | 8 |
| Interior conversions | 5 |
| Total new units | 13 |
| Median 1BR rent in Santa Ana | $2,400/mo |
| Est. additional gross rent | $374K/yr |
| Estimated total project cost | ~$2,621K |
| Year-1 NOI estimate | ~$281K |
| Stabilized cap rate at cost | 10.7% |
| Replacement parking required | No (§66313) |
| Approval pathway | Ministerial · §66314 |
| Typical permit timeline in Santa Ana | 70-115 days |
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