Lafayette council approves ADU ordinance on first reading, plans broader code update

On May 6, 2025, the Lafayette City Council voted unanimously to approve on first reading Ordinance No. 10, Series 2025, amending Chapter 26 of the city’s development and zoning code to revise rules for accessory dwelling units (ADUs).

City planning staff said the ordinance makes three targeted changes to the ADU rules and is timed to allow Lafayette to pursue a state funding opportunity. Phil Kleiser, the city’s planning and building department lead, told council the amendments respond to issues identified after the 2023 expansion of ADU allowances and to a state law that creates new funding for ADU projects.

The ordinance would: expand the zones where ADUs are allowed by adding the agricultural, public and developing resource districts (areas that already allow detached single‑family homes); change the parking requirement so a dedicated off‑street parking space would not be required except where on‑street parking is prohibited for a block; and remove several subjective design standards in favor of measurable standards such as setbacks and height limits. Kleiser said current code sets a 30% maximum lot coverage for ADUs, a 20‑foot height limit for detached ADUs in Old Town and a 16‑foot height limit outside Old Town; those measurable standards remain part of the proposed ordinance.

Kleiser told council the city has processed 10 ADU permits since the 2023 amendments, three of which were outside Old Town and two of which were attached ADUs. He said staff and designers continue to encounter practical challenges when converting portions of existing homes into freestanding living units. The planning commission held a public hearing on April 23 and voted 4–0 to recommend approval; two members of the public spoke in support.

Scott Griebling, representing a group of local architects that submitted written comments, praised Lafayette’s work on ADUs but urged more expansive changes now rather than waiting for the full code rewrite. “I commend the City in all of its efforts that it has taken to advance ADUs in the City,” Griebling said, and asked council to consider broader flexibility on size, location and accessibility.

Council members expressed support for the ordinance’s proposed changes while several said larger or more aggressive amendments — including incentives for accessible, single‑story ADUs and allowing ADUs in additional house types — should be studied and folded into the full land‑use code update. Council and staff said the land‑use code project includes a working group and consultant support and will include broader public engagement over the summer and fall.

Councilor Frieden moved approval on first reading; the motion passed unanimously. Staff said a second reading is scheduled for June 3. Kleiser and staff also told council they expect more detail in late June or early July about the state’s ADU fee reduction and encouragement grant program and possible CHFA funding that could offset ADU costs for Lafayette residents.

Supporters and staff emphasized that the ordinance is intended as a measured, near‑term adjustment to reduce barriers (particularly parking and subjective design rules) and to position the city for state funding, while the city pursues larger changes through the scheduled land‑use code update later in 2025.

Councilors and staff encouraged residents to participate in the code update process and said the city will provide additional public engagement opportunities as the draft code is prepared and circulated.