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Planning commission sends ADU ordinance changes to city council after public hearing
Summary
Willard Planning Commission opened and closed a public hearing on accessory dwelling units and voted unanimously to send proposed ordinance changes — including a two-story or 25-foot height limit and moving lot thresholds from acres to square footage — to the City Council.
The Willard City Planning Commission opened and closed a public hearing and voted to send proposed changes to the city's accessory dwelling unit (ADU) rules to the City Council, Commission members said during their Dec. 5 meeting.
Commissioners voted to forward an amendment to the Willard City zoning ordinance (chapter 12-1-10223-6) that would limit ADUs to no more than two stories or 25 feet in height and convert lot-size thresholds from acres to square footage. A motion to forward the draft with the changes passed unanimously.
The proposed ordinance text discussed at the hearing shows square-foot and height adjustments highlighted for review. Commission discussion focused on how to measure ADU height when the unit is attached to or built above an existing garage, whether ADUs should be capped by the height of the primary residence and how detached ADUs built on sloping lots could become taller than the primary structure. One commissioner said the city's building code already constrains most ADUs to two stories and noted potential view impacts on neighbors if taller structures were allowed.
Commissioners and staff also agreed to change references from acre measurements to square footage to avoid ambiguity for residents and to fix a number of typographical errors in the draft ordinance. During discussion members asked staff to clarify whether building envelopes for ADUs should be measured from existing grade or from the top of a primary structure when attached.
Commission staff advised that footprint limits for ADUs apply to living space only, not to garages, and that the city's building code sets separate story and height limits. Commissioners discussed allowing larger accessory buildings such as shops or pole barns while keeping living-area ADUs subject to the new height and story limits.
The commission recorded the motion to forward the draft, with the changes discussed, and asked staff to correct the measured-lot language and typos before sending the ordinance to the City Council for its consideration.
Commission action: motion to forward the ADU ordinance amendment (chapter 12-1-10223-6) with the proposed changes passed unanimously. No additional substantive amendments were adopted at the meeting.
