Committee advances ordinance to permit accessory dwelling units citywide

The St. Louis City Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee on Tuesday advanced Board Bill 60, an ordinance that would add definitions and site rules for accessory dwelling units and permit them in residential districts, by a 7–0 vote with a do-pass recommendation to the full Board.

Planning staff and the bill sponsor said the changes are intended to reduce time and cost for homeowners who convert or build small secondary units on the same lot as a single-family or duplex. "[T]he proposed approach ... is to reduce barriers and the need for any special approval to facilitate the construction of ADUs," said Miriam Keller, City Planning Executive for General Planning and Design.

The bill as read into the record is titled in part as an ordinance "amending chapter 26 of the zoning code defining, permitting, and regulating accessory dwelling units" and includes a severability and emergency clause. Committee members and members of the public described ADUs as a tool for multi-generational living, supplemental rental income and a housing option useful to tornado recovery and rebuilding in affected neighborhoods.

Board Bill 60 would add distinct definitions for attached and detached ADUs; set a height limit of 25 feet; set area limits that generally allow ADUs of at least 750 square feet and up to 1,200 square feet for very large lots; limit one ADU per parcel; and adopt setback and separation rules tailored to existing lots and accessory buildings. The planning commission recommended not requiring additional off-street parking for an ADU, but requiring replacement parking if creation of an ADU removes a space required by the primary dwelling.

Evan Winkler and Mary Hart Burton of the zoning section described typical cases planners see, including garage conversions that previously required a variance from the Board of Adjustment because the older code treats an ADU as a primary dwelling. Winkler showed an example of a family who added a single-level unit above a garage to keep older relatives nearby; that application was initially denied and only approved months later after an appeal, staff said.

Speakers at the committee included a private-sector endorsement and a formal statement from the mayor's office. Charlie Andrew Leiter of St. Louis Realtors said the association is "enthusiastic to support this legislation," while Casey Milberg, chief of staff to Mayor Tishaura O. Jones (referred to in the hearing as Mayor Spencer), said the mayor's office is "fully in support of this piece of legislation ... and that we cannot wait to sign" it.

Committee members asked about impacts on tenure and investor ownership. "What would prevent the landlord of that property from building an accessory dwelling unit and basically turning the single family residence into a multifamily dwelling parcel?" asked Alderman Cone, reflecting concerns about investor‑owned homes in some neighborhoods. Planning staff said the ordinance does not require owner occupancy of either the primary unit or an ADU and that was a conscious choice based on national best practices and legal limits on what a zoning ordinance can require.

Members also raised operational questions that the zoning and building divisions said are handled outside the ordinance: building code and fire‑safety requirements will be enforced by the Building Division; postal addressing and utility-metering arrangements are coordinated by zoning, IT, the assessor and the utilities departments on a case‑by‑case basis. Staff said some cities allow separate meters while others keep the ADU tied to the primary meter; existing ADUs in St. Louis are handled both ways.

The committee recorded the motion and vote consistent with the meeting record: a motion for a do-pass recommendation was made and seconded on the floor, and the clerk recorded aye votes from Autumn McComb, Alderman Schweitzer, Alderman Keyes, Vice Chair Sonier, Alderman Browning, Alderman Aldrich and Chair Clark Hubbard; no votes against, abstentions or recusals were recorded. The committee chair announced the measure carried with seven ayes and a do-pass recommendation to the full Board.

The ordinance is explicitly tied to the city's recently adopted strategic land use plan and to an ongoing zoning update staff and elected leaders called the "zoning overhaul." Committee members said Board Bill 60 is an interim code change intended to be refined as the larger zoning rewrite proceeds.

The committee said four written testimonies in support were submitted and will be added to the project folder. With the committee vote concluded, the bill proceeds to the Board for further consideration and the mayor's office indicated it intends to sign the ordinance if the Board approves it.

Votes at a glance: - Board Bill 60 — Ordinance amending Chapter 26 (zoning code) to define and permit accessory dwelling units; motion: do-pass recommendation; vote recorded 7–0; outcome: advanced to full Board (do pass). (Details: height 25 ft; ADU size typically 750–1,200 sq ft; one ADU per parcel; no additional parking required unless a required space is removed; attached ADU setbacks may align to 3 ft; primary structures subject to existing 4‑ft side yard code.)