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Commission debates ADU draft: lot-size tiers, ADU caps, setbacks and variance use
Summary
Commissioners reviewed two draft ADU ordinance versions (one from 'Willard' and an engineering draft) and debated minimum lot sizes (6,000; 9,900; 12,000 sq ft), ADU size caps (1,000–1,500 or 1,200 sq ft), parking requirements, and how variances should handle nonconforming lots; they agreed to study and redline the drafts before the next meeting.
Commissioners reviewed a newly circulated draft accessory-dwelling-unit (ADU) ordinance and discussed how minimum lot sizes, maximum ADU square footage, parking and setbacks should be set before any recommendation to the city council.
The chair said the commission had received two drafts — one from "Willard" and another from the city engineer — and asked members to read both and prepare redlines for the next meeting. Commissioners flagged a proposed 12,000-square-foot minimum for detached ADUs in one draft and questioned whether that threshold was necessary. "I don't know that it necessarily needs to be 12,000 square feet," the chair said.
Members compared the 12,000 figure to the city's quarter-acre baseline (9,900 square feet) and discussed a 6,000-square-foot floor that one draft set for internal (attached) ADUs. Proposed ADU size caps in the drafts ranged across tiers: 1,000 square feet for certain parcel sizes, 1,200 square feet in another section and 1,500 square feet for larger parcels; commissioners noted that a 1,200-square-foot detached ADU would still trigger parking, setback and other development requirements. "You'd have to meet all of the setback requirements for an accessory building on a quarter-acre lot," the chair said.
Commissioners expressed concern about how the ordinance would affect existing nonconforming lots. One member asked whether small existing lots could use the variance process rather than a blanket minimum, noting the city already allows legal nonconforming parcels to seek building permits. The chair said he would consult the contracted variance officer and the city attorney and bring guidance to the next meeting.
The body agreed to study Willard's draft and the engineer's draft, prepare suggested edits and return for further discussion at the planning commission meeting in December.
