Carbondale holds public hearing on ADU code changes; commission schedules continuation after detailed public comments

Carbondale planning staff opened a public hearing Aug. 28 on proposed amendments to accessory dwelling unit (ADU) regulations in the town’s Unified Development Code, outlining existing rules and asking the Planning and Zoning Commission for direction on process, locations, unit size, parking, and short-term rental limits.

Jared (town planning staff) told commissioners the purpose of the hearing was to gather guidance before staff drafts code language. He summarized current rules and practice: ADUs are defined as subordinate dwelling units created within or detached from a single-family residence; they are permitted in many residential zone districts but are often limited or excluded in PUDs (planned unit developments). The code currently allows one ADU per property, generally limits ADUs to one bedroom, requires cooking and sanitary facilities, prohibits separate ownership or separate utilities, and sets ADU sizes roughly between 300 and 850 square feet depending on zone and lot. Parking requirements now call for two spaces per ADU but the commission may reduce that to one in some cases; staff noted the commission had in 2024 exempted ADU parking spaces from impervious lot-coverage calculations.

Staff and commissioners reviewed a map and spreadsheet summarizing where ADUs are permitted, where they are allowed in limited circumstances, and where PUD language effectively excludes ADUs. Jared described River Valley Ranch (RVR) as an example where the PUD granted ADU rights to specific platted lots; staff noted roughly 40 ADUs were constructed in RVR through 2018 under that prior approval process. Staff reported that, since 2014, the town had approved 17 ADUs through land-use review (four approved but not built, two withdrawn,…