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Planning commission moves to update ADU ordinance to comply with state law; public raises parking concerns
Summary
Commissioners recommended the City Council repeal and replace the accessory dwelling unit (ADU) chapter of the municipal code to align with recent state law changes; a resident urged stronger local controls on parking and permit enforcement.
At its April 1 meeting, the Greenfield Planning Commission considered a complete rewrite of the city’s accessory dwelling unit (ADU) ordinance and moved to recommend that the City Council repeal Chapter 17.90 of the Greenfield Municipal Code and adopt a new ADU ordinance to conform with state law.
Planning staff explained the draft replaces the city’s 2018 ADU code to reflect a series of state-law changes, including an amendment effective Jan. 1, 2025, that expanded the types of ADUs and JADUs that must be approved ministerially at the staff level. “With the change of just a few words in the state law, it made it to where these types of ADUs generally have to be approved,” Planning staff said. The draft also documents the maximum objective standards the city may impose under state law.
A resident, identified as Laura, urged the commission to tighten local controls, saying the city’s permitted ADUs are worsening on-street parking and sidewalk obstruction in her neighborhood. “They’re not really demanding on the parking… it is kinda annoying,” Laura said, and later added, “I think there's needs to be a little bit more control on issuing permits.” The commission and staff responded that state law limits local authority over certain parking requirements and cited Senate Bill 1211 (as referenced in the meeting) as removing replacement-parking requirements for new ADUs.
Staff said the city is working to secure consultants to provide preapproved ADU plan sets used by neighboring jurisdictions. The staff presentation named preapproved plans originally created by the City of Salinas and adopted by Gonzales, King City and Soledad; staff said Greenfield staff intends to pursue similar preapproved models and share them with the commission once finalized.
After discussion, a commissioner moved that the commission adopt Resolution 2025-O-04 recommending the City Council repeal Chapter 17.90 and adopt a new ADU ordinance that incorporates required state modifications and submit the ordinance to the California Department of Housing and Community Development for review. The motion was seconded. The transcript does not record a vote result.
