Commission approves detached accessory structure/ADU at 820 North Price, 5–1

The Planning and Community Design Commission voted 5–1 on Oct. 16 to approve a site plan and concept stormwater review for a detached accessory structure at 820 North Price Road. The proposal includes a garage footprint of roughly 969 square feet with a modest upper‑level finished area described by the petitioner as an accessory dwelling unit (ADU). The approved condition package directs the petitioner to comply with staff‑recommended clarifications and conditions.

Staff presented technical details: the accessory structures as drawn exceed the three‑hundred‑sixty threshold for administrative approval (the code permits up to 600 sq ft of accessory structure without commission review for lots of this size) and, given this plan, the petition required commission review for both area and height. Staff described the drainage approach: a rear‑yard dry‑well system and a DuraSLOPE trench drain on the driveway that will route flat work and pool runoff into the property’s flow well; staff asked the petitioner to verify the location of a pop‑up emitter and to confirm the final pipe routing.

Petitioner Ilya Adleman said the design changes were made to reduce visual impact and to emphasize subordinate character. "My parents are aging, and that is the ultimate goal here," Adleman said when asked about the upper‑level living unit. In response to neighbor concerns staff and the petitioner described drainage details and said the proposed pool will use an auto‑overflow trough system tied into the detention piping to avoid overflow onto adjacent properties.

Commission discussion focused on aesthetics and broader policy questions about ADUs. Staff noted the city’s comprehensive plan includes ADUs as a potential tool for attainable housing, but the zoning code lacks an explicit ADU definition and enforcement rubric; commissioners said that the present approval should be decided on its design and site context, not as a policy change. Commissioner Laura Ragsdale made the motion to approve the petition, and Commissioner Petrie Powell seconded. During roll call, Commissioner Spiegelglass voted no; Ragsdale, Ford, Powell, Wallach and Jurgel voted in favor, and the motion passed 5–1.

The approval is subject to the staff conditions listed in the Department of Planning and Community Development memorandum to ensure accurate accessory‑structure square‑foot accounting, final stormwater details, and administrative clarifications prior to permitting. The commission also asked staff to track ADU questions as part of a future comprehensive‑plan and code review discussion.