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Asheville council approves UDO tweak to let owners convert existing nonconforming buildings into ADUs without Board review
Summary
The council approved a text amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance to let owners convert existing nonconforming structures into accessory dwelling units (ADUs) by right, removing the requirement to seek a variance from the Board of Adjustment; staff stressed the change does not alter size limits and public speakers urged outreach and anti‑displacement safeguards.
The Asheville City Council approved a text amendment to the city Unified Development Ordinance to allow owners of existing nonconforming structures to convert them into accessory dwelling units (ADUs) by right, eliminating the need for a variance from the Board of Adjustment.
Planning and Urban Design Director (identified in the record with variant names) said the change is an administrative and process‑oriented cleanup intended to streamline conversions of small, existing structures into housing without changing any maximum size allowances. "When someone owns a nonconforming home, they did not create that hardship," the director said, emphasizing the city did not intend to make substantive dimensional changes.
The amendment does not alter numeric size limits for ADUs, staff said. Sam Star Baum, a planner and the Board…
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