Florence planning commission defers proposal to allow detached accessory dwelling units

The Florence City Planning Commission on the evening of its June meeting voted to defer action on a proposed amendment to the city's Unified Development Ordinance that would permit detached accessory dwelling units, commonly called ADUs.

Planning staff presented the proposal as a conditional-use amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance that would allow detached ADUs where they are now prohibited, subject to a set of conditions intended to limit impacts on adjoining properties. Miss Lane, a member of the planning staff, told commissioners the draft includes 21 conditions, requires owner occupancy, limits detached ADU size and parking, and would require a conditional-use permit, building permit, business license and rental permit if the ADU is rented.

The amendment was described by staff as intended to allow homeowners to rehabilitate or reuse small outbuildings and carriage houses or to construct modest new detached units, while placing limits to reduce perceived neighborhood impacts. "We've got these old houses that have garages or carriage houses or mother-in-law suites, separate buildings, and people have one really small houses in the backyard that people want to rent them out, and we can't let them," Miss Lane said. She added that the draft ordinance would require the property owner to live on the lot, limit separate utilities and require the ADU to complement the principal structure.

Key proposed conditions cited by staff included: a single detached ADU per lot, a maximum detached ADU size equal to 50% of the principal structure's footprint or 800 square feet, whichever is less, at least one improved parking space, no separate utility meters, the same postal address for the ADU and principal residence, and an owner-occupancy requirement for either the ADU or the main dwelling. Staff also said applicants would need a conditional-use approval before obtaining a building permit.

Commissioners raised questions about impervious-surface and parking impacts and about whether the proposal should apply to newly built principal residences as well as existing buildings. One commissioner asked specifically about the maximum ADU size and was told by staff the cap is 800 square feet or 50% of the footprint, whichever is less. Commissioners noted the policy trade-offs between increasing rental supply and protecting neighborhood character.

After discussion the commission moved to defer the item to the next month to allow commissioners and the public more time to review the draft conditions and provide feedback. An unnamed commissioner said, "We we defer this to next month. Let's all have a chance to digest all of this a little more closely and then come prepared to take action." The motion to defer carried unanimously.

The planning staff asked commissioners to review a questionnaire and the draft language before the next meeting. No formal amendments to the Unified Development Ordinance were adopted at this meeting.