Council votes unanimously to waive sidewalk fees for ADU construction after policy discussion

City staff reopened a previously continued discussion about sidewalk requirements and fee options for accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Staff said the current fee-in-lieu rates are $60 per linear foot for residential 5-foot sidewalks and $96 per linear foot for commercial/mixed-use 8-foot sidewalks, and recommended a $1,500 flat fee if council chose to adopt a flat-rate approach for ADUs.

Councilors extensively debated competing priorities: encouraging ADU construction to increase housing supply, filling sidewalk gaps to improve walkability, and whether the streets and infrastructure fund could cover sidewalk construction instead of charging individual property owners. Several councilors argued for using the streets & infrastructure fund and against imposing fees that could discourage ADU creation; others worried about paying for sidewalks where they would be unused or later torn out during major capital work.

There was also a discrepancy in the record about total fee-in-lieu revenue collected since 2020: staff said it totaled $15,000 while an intervening comment referenced roughly $50,002.15; the council asked staff to reconcile the numbers. After discussion the council member moved to waive sidewalk fees for ADU construction, a second was received and the motion passed unanimously.

Staff clarified that if the council wanted to implement a change more broadly (code amendment vs. fee change) the language and findings required for a code amendment would be drafted and returned, but for the narrow ADU exemption the council directed staff to proceed with the waiver.

Direct quote of the staff recommendation: “If you all elect to go with a flat rate fee...our recommendation from staff is $1,500.” The motion to waive the ADU sidewalk fee was recorded as passing unanimously.