The Planning Commission on Oct. 14 recommended that the City Council adopt an update to the City's ADU ordinance to bring local rules into alignment with current state law and adopted a local maximum size of 1,200 square feet for detached ADUs.

Planning Director Brian Foote presented the draft Ordinance Text Amendment No. 370, explaining that state law now allows accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in most residential and mixed-use zones and specifies which development standards local governments may impose. Foote described three ADU types in the draft — detached ADU, attached ADU, and junior ADU — and said the draft includes objective design standards, parking rules that mirror state exemptions, and provisions for utilities and rental length (30 days minimum in local ordinance for clarity).

Staff also noted the housing-element work program, which includes preparing pre-approved ADU standard plans; Foote said the city has hired a consultant to create standard plans and expects final designs in the first half of next year.

Commission discussion focused on the draft's maximum unit size and utility-meter questions. Several commissioners asked whether the proposed 1,000-square-foot municipal cap could be increased; commissioners expressed support for raising the cap to 1,200 square feet to allow a more usable two-bedroom layout in some cases. The commission therefore voted to recommend a local limit of up to 1,200 square feet for ADUs.

On the topic of meters and utilities, utilities staff explained that separate public water meters are not required in all cases and that private submeters or utility-provider meters are options; separate sewer laterals and backflow devices or other measures may be required depending on site circumstances and utility rules.

Commissioners also approved amendments that add an objective lighting/photometric approach elsewhere in project conditions and made clarifying edits to ensure the draft ordinance conforms with repeated state guidance on objective standards. Staff said the ordinance will be transmitted to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for review as required, and a CEQA exemption for ordinance updates to ADU regulations (City section 15,282) was identified in the staff report.

The commission voted to forward the revised draft ordinance to City Council with the 1,200-square-foot recommendation and direction to pursue pre-approved ADU standard plans and tracking enhancements in the annual housing report.