Lease to own

Our organization could build granny flats in existing single-family driveways all around the city, where people who lease them from our organization can be people who lease with an objective of eventually saving enough money to purchase a home. 

The rate at which we make the granny flat available for lease would be comparable to the cost of servicing a mortgage on a regularly purchased home. However, a part of the lease amount paid would go into a deposit fund for an eventual home purchase, and the balance would go into a fund to assist our organization to pay off the loan for the construction of the granny flat. 

While a granny flat itself cannot be purchased, because the property the home sits on cannot be subdivided, our organization could have the mandate to build granny flats on existing properties, potentially at no cost to the existing property owner.

This would conceivably be done to accommodate lease-to-own renters, while the property owner would allow us to manage the granny flat on the property for many years into the future. The property owner allowing us to lease the granny flat out to regain our costs of building, and that existing owner would gain title to the granny flat upon production of the unit.

The program could allow renters to apply additional monies into a savings fund that would produce an eventual larger amount gaining interest over time, that could be transferred to a down payment on a home they could own elsewhere, eventually purchased from our organization, confirmed by contract.

This granny flat unit would ostensibly be placed in an existing driveway of any single-family lot, where it would not otherwise subtract from the available greenery in the yard. It would be at the back end of the driveway, but would allow for parking below and provide for an increase in the length of the area that was built up as in the previous garage, but would now be dedicated to living space above a garage. (Side view below - concept includes a spiral stair in center of all floors):

Because of the patio on the roof holding fruit trees, and the greenhouse holding vegetables and spices or houseplants, this unit would increase the amount of space in the overall city dedicated to plantings and do so without subtracting from the amount of "open space". The driveway on the other hand would be where the positive contribution / compensation to the environment would be from because of the plantings on the roof. Where before the driveway was "wasted" and generating heat from the sun's reflection, adding to overall global warming, this would improve the natural situation. 

It would also add 3 stories of living space to an existing property, without increasing the amount of space required to build on any particular lot. However, you should know that every lot in the City of Santa Barbara (or the State of California, for that matter) is zoned for a second unit.           

Consider elevating your existing home, and having an additional 2-stories placed underneath it. You will double the amount of housing available in the city of Santa Barbara, without sacrificing any open space!

Here are some sample small house plans, from houseplans.com

Where is the land?