Anacortes planning commission reviews draft ADU code to align with state law

The Anacortes Planning Commission reviewed draft amendments to the city’s accessory dwelling unit (ADU) regulations during a planning commission meeting, where staff said the changes respond to state law enacted in House Bill 1337 and to recent updates to the municipal code.

The draft would require the city to allow at least two ADUs on lots in zones that permit single-family housing, raise the city’s existing maximum ADU gross floor area to 1,000 square feet to comply with state limits, set a 25-foot maximum height for detached ADUs, and revise parking and setback standards. Planning staff said the revisions will be folded into a larger package of housing-related zoning changes and returned to the commission for a formal recommendation.

Libby Grage, planning manager in the Planning, Community and Economic Development Department, briefed commissioners on the history and the proposed code language. "Accessory dwelling units have been addressed in the Anacortes Municipal Code since 02/2008," she said, and summarized the statute she was citing: "The city or county may not establish a maximum gross floor area requirement for accessory dwelling units that is less than 1,000 square feet." Grage walked commissioners through proposed new definitions, height and setback rules, parking…