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Commission reopens residential‑district rules; discusses household definition, ADUs and townhouse setbacks
Summary
Staff presented a memo on residential districts that prompted discussion about replacing 'family' with 'household,' whether to allow accessory dwelling units, and how to treat patios and setbacks for attached housing; commissioners asked staff to refine definitions and consider developer input.
Brandon planning staff resumed review of proposed changes to residential zoning, focusing on terminology (family vs. household), accessory dwelling units (ADUs), townhouse setbacks and whether certain small city‑owned lots should be rezoned.
At the outset, Patrick, a planning staff member, framed the discussion as a restart of an earlier conversation: “What is a family? Did we want to maybe shift more towards defining what a household is rather than a family and go that way?”
Why it matters: definitions of household/family, permitted household sizes and rules about ADUs can affect who may lawfully live together, how many unrelated adults can occupy a dwelling, and whether property owners can add separate small units — all matters that influence housing supply and neighborhood character.
Key points from discussion
- Household vs. family: Staff suggested replacing the term “family” with “household,” keyed to an economic unit living together rather…
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