Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council reviews ordinance change to allow external accessory dwellings and proposes driveway-gate standards
Summary
Council and planning staff reviewed Ordinance 2025-22 to permit accessory dwelling units that are external structures and discussed a proposed citywide driveway-gate standard addressing width, clearance, emergency access, inspections and fines.
Woodland Hills planning staff presented proposed changes to city code that would allow external accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and would add a new set of requirements for driveway gates.
Wayne (planning staff) reviewed Ordinance 2025-22, described in the meeting packet as an amendment to portions of city code 10.18.1 on accessory dwelling units. Wayne said the change clarifies that ADUs may be internal or external (accessory buildings) to comply with state code allowing external ADUs.
On driveway gates, staff presented a detailed set of standards intended to ensure emergency access and functional maintenance. Wayne said the city’s closest existing reference point was the wildland fire ordinance and that staff had proposed specific dimensional and operational criteria. Among items discussed were minimum unobstructed driveway widths tied to fire access (staff referenced a prior standard of 12 feet wide and 13.5 feet high in wildfire access guidance), a recommended 19-foot clearance from the street in some examples discussed, requirements for manual unlock capability, an annual or post-repair operational check and a possible $500 fine for a nonworking gate.
Council members and staff discussed how gates interact with homeowners associations. Wayne noted Summit Creek intends to gate part of its private roads and that homeowners behind any HOA gate may still seek their own driveway gates, but those private installations would need to meet city minimums. Council members pressed on emergency and wildfire access: firefighters and others noted gates must be openable manually and have remote overrides (yelp/knox or equivalent) and that testing and maintenance provisions are meant to avoid gates being chained closed.
Wayne said he had reviewed the proposal with the fire chief, who “can live with it” if the council adopts the ordinance with the proposed criteria. Staff said the planning commission discussed adding a provision that the city may test a repaired gate to ensure it opens with a yelp siren; that provision was drafted with a discretionary “may.”
Why this matters: The ADU change updates local code to align with state allowances for exterior accessory dwelling units; the gate standards are intended to balance property owners’ desires for decorative or restricted access gates with public-safety needs for unobstructed emergency access.
The work session included questions but no final vote. The council was warned that adopting a gate allowance will require a building permit and coordination with other codes and that some existing HOA gates will also need to meet city standards where public access or emergency response could be affected.
Ending: The ordinance and gate standards will remain in the council’s packet for the upcoming meeting cycle; council members asked staff to confirm final draft language and to include fire-department input in the ordinance text.
