SB 1211 for 5-unit apartment in Santa Ana
A 5-unit 5-unit apartment in Santa Ana qualifies for up to 6 new homes under SB 1211 — 5 detached ADUs and 1 interior conversions. At Santa Ana's median rent of $2,400/mo, that's ~$173K in additional gross annual rent.
The Santa Ana scenario
The scenario most Santa Ana 5-unit apartment owners face: an existing building, mature trees, and a back lot that's currently doing nothing. SB 1211's 4-ft setback and 18-ft height envelope fits 5 detached units behind that primary structure with room for fire-access in front.
Santa Ana watch: Dense lots; surface parking conversions are the play.
Mid-size multifamily (5–8 unit) design playbook
This is SB 1211's sweet spot. A 5-unit existing building maxes out the 8-detached cap (or comes close), so design moves are about packing detached ADUs efficiently around the existing structure and converting underutilized parking.
Pro-forma snapshot
| Existing units | 5 |
| Detached ADUs (SB 1211) | 5 |
| Interior conversions | 1 |
| Total new units | 6 |
| Median 1BR rent in Santa Ana | $2,400/mo |
| Est. additional gross rent | $173K/yr |
| Estimated total project cost | ~$1,478K |
| Year-1 NOI estimate | ~$130K |
| Stabilized cap rate at cost | 8.8% |
| Replacement parking required | No (§66313) |
| Approval pathway | Ministerial · §66314 |
| Typical permit timeline in Santa Ana | 70-115 days |
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