Everett planners weigh changing ADU rules, seek proportional impact fees

Planning staff and commissioners at the Everett Planning Commission meeting March 4 discussed reclassifying accessory dwelling units as general dwellings under the city's comprehensive plan update and the implications that change would have for impact fees, building-code triggers and affordable housing goals.

The conversation centered on how the proposed simplification'collapsing multiple housing structure types into a single “dwelling” category'would affect fee exemptions and utility or building-code requirements. York Stevens Wojta, planning director for the city, said staff's intent is to "not regulate differently based on that structure type to make it all dwellings." He added that the city is reviewing how fees should be tied to measurable performance factors such as square footage, bedroom count or trip generation rather than…