A public hearing and staff report led the Dundee City Council to approve ordinance 591-2025, adopting amendments to the comprehensive plan and municipal code to treat duplex dwellings and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) as permitted housing types in low- and medium-density residential zones.

City Planner Doug Rucks told the council the package—case LU R A 24-29—brings Dundee into compliance with a series of state legislative changes since 2017 and administrative rules, including provisions from recent bills and revisions to ORS 197 and Oregon Administrative Rule Division 46. Rucks said the proposal updates definitions, lot-size tables, lot-coverage rules and middle-housing land-division procedures.

The changes place duplex dwellings on the same regulatory footing as detached single-family dwellings in R-1, R-2 and R-3 zones; set R-1 lot size parity at 9,000 square feet, R-2 at 7,000 square feet and R-3 at 5,000 square feet; and add a middle-housing land-division path that allows a qualifying parent lot to be divided and developed with duplex housing under an expedited review. Rucks said the code now clarifies that duplexes may be attached or detached and that municipalities must mirror single-family design standards if any exist for single-family homes.

On ADUs, the city removed most local design standards except the requirement that each ADU have a separate entrance; added a five-percentage-point lot-coverage bonus for building area and a separate five-percentage-point allowance for combined building-plus-parking coverage where an ADU is proposed; and clarified utility-connection options. Rucks said owners may either install a new water/sewer tap and meter for an ADU or connect the ADU to the primary dwelling’s services subject to building-permit review of pipe sizing. He also noted state law restrictions limit local governments from requiring off-street parking for ADUs and allow only one off-street parking space per duplex unit to be required locally.

Rucks summarized Planning Commission outreach: the commission held two work sessions and a public hearing, made minor modifications, and voted unanimously to recommend the amendments. He also said the city received written comments from two residents (Casey Brown and Kelsey Brown) and technical comments from the building official and fire marshal; staff responded to those comments in the packet.

During council deliberations, members questioned parking impacts on unimproved streets and whether middle-housing divisions could be sold separately. Rucks explained that a duplex created through a middle-housing land division remains a duplex by land-use designation and cannot later be converted to independent single-family lots without a different process. He said ADUs do not count toward density limits but duplexes do and will be evaluated against zone density ranges on individual applications.

Councilor Weaver moved to approve the ordinance; Councilor Nelson seconded. The council voted and the motion passed unanimously.

The adopted package inserts the state legislative changes and administrative rules into the municipal code and adds new policies to the comprehensive plan that encourage duplexes and ADUs in low- and medium-density residential zones. The ordinance and associated tables and definitions in Title 17 of the municipal code will be published with the final staff report and ordinance exhibits for public reference.

Rucks and Mayor David Ford said staff will continue to monitor pending state legislative changes that may require future local adjustments.