Planning commission hears public comment on draft accessory-apartment rules; leaves record open

The St. Mary’s County Planning Commission on a February 2008 public hearing considered a proposed text amendment to the county zoning ordinance that would change how accessory dwelling units are defined, sized and sited.

County land-use staffer Yvonne Chalay said the amendment, introduced to the Board of County Commissioners in September 2007 and revised in December, would change the name “accessory dwelling unit” to “accessory apartment” and set a maximum size standard intended to preserve the accessory — not duplex — appearance. “Tonight’s amendment … is an amendment to the comprehensive zoning ordinance to change the criteria for an accessory dwelling unit,” Chalay said.

The proposal would keep the current 300-square-foot minimum for an accessory unit but replace the current 30%-of-principal-dwelling cap with a numeric cap: 30% of the principal dwelling or 600 square feet, whichever is less, for units inside a principal structure; and 50% of a detached accessory structure or 600 square feet, whichever is less, for detached accessory apartments. Staff said garages and attached garages would not be counted toward a principal dwelling’s gross floor area when calculating percentages. The draft also would require an accessory apartment inside…