A proposal to ease regulations on home-based businesses in San Diego was given a tentative green light Thursday by the City Council's Economic Development Committee.
Councilman Chris Cate said many of the people bringing innovations to the market are designing products in their living rooms and garages. A lot of the estimated 35,000 home-based businesses in San Diego are in engineering, the sciences and technical services, according to the councilman.
"Some of the most innovative companies like Apple, Ford and Mary Kay Cosmetics have started as a home-based business," Cate said.
Current city regulations, designed to maintain a neighborhood's quality of life, prohibit employees or partners who aren't occupants of the residence from being on the premises. Customers also aren't allowed.
Exceptions to the regulations require the business owner to pay a $5,000 fee for a Neighborhood Use Permit, a fee that makes it hard for businesses to expand, according to Cate. His proposal would lower the fee to an undetermined figure.
Cate also wants the city to allow one employee or partner to be on site from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and one customer per two-hour period for a total of six per day.
Colleagues Mark Kersey and Sherri Lightner supported the proposal, though Kersey said the 7 a.m. start time might be a little early.
Lightner said staff will have to study the different impacts on single- family homes compared to multi-family housing. Metrics would have to developed for noise and air quality impacts, she said.
The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce also chimed in with support.
The proposals now go to the full City Council, which would ask city staff to study them and consider including them in a future update of the Development Code.
