P.G. Council decides how to crack down on illegal apartments

(Daily Herald) No new accessory apartments will crop up in Pleasant Grove, and the current ones will eventually become non-existent. That is the hope behind the city's new policy of enforcing the law on illegal apartments in the city.

After months of discussion about whether to allow accessory apartments, the City Council decided earlier this month that they would remain illegal. At a meeting Tuesday night, the council directed city staff to begin the process of defining what is and is not an accessory apartment and decided how to enforce the law.

"I'm not interested in forcing people out [of the apartments.] The purpose is to have a community that single family residential means single family residential," said Mayor Bruce Call.

According to Call, city staff will not actively go looking for current illegal apartments. However, if a nuisance issue arises, such as noise, too many cars or safety issues, the law will be enforced.

Additionally, when homeowners sell their homes that have existing apartments, the new owners will no longer be able to rent out the space. New residents who come in to sign up for utilities, according to Call, will be required to sign a statement saying that they do not and will not have accessory apartments in their homes.

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