Newberry planning board backs changes to accessory dwelling unit rules, sends ordinance to commission

The Planning & Zoning Board of the City of Newberry voted to recommend that the City Commission consider ordinance 2025‑74, a text amendment to the city’s land development regulations that revises rules for accessory dwelling units (ADUs).

Miss Hector, a planning staff presenter, told the board that ADUs are "additional dwellings on the same parcel as a primary dwelling," and traced the local rules to a 2018 city ordinance adopted after the state allowed local governments to authorize ADUs without changing comprehensive plan density. The proposal before the board would raise the ADU square‑foot cap from 1,000 to 1,700 (matching Alachua County), update state agency names, and add allowances for separate septic systems on parcels of 10 acres or more with Department of Health approval. Staff also confirmed an alternative sizing rule that allows an ADU of up to 50% of the primary dwelling in lieu of the 1,700‑sq‑ft cap.

The changes are written as an ordinance; staff asked the board to forward a recommendation to the City Commission. Board members asked technical questions about how agricultural density rules interact with ADU eligibility and sought reassurance the ADU approval process would remain administrative when an application meets the code standards. Miss Hector said ADU applications that meet the listed requirements would be administratively approved, but that applicants must still submit the application and meet the criteria.

City manager Marlow urged the board to consider the annexation context, saying the city had lost some annexations where county rules provided more flexibility; staff framed the amendment in part as a way to avoid placing disincentives on property owners who might otherwise remain in the county.

After discussion the board voted to recommend approval and forward ordinance 2025‑74 to the City Commission for first reading, which staff recorded for a City Commission hearing on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, at 7 p.m. The board vote on the recommendation was unanimous.

What happens next: Because the item was forwarded as a recommendation, the City Commission will consider the ordinance at first reading. If the commission moves forward, applicants seeking ADUs under the revised rules will apply administratively; projects that require changes to utilities (including separate septic approvals) will require appropriate health‑department approvals and any required development permits.