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Supervisors direct staff to revise ADU rules and send ordinance to planning commission
Summary
The board directed staff to amend accessory‑dwelling‑unit zoning to limit size to 50% of the primary dwelling (maximum 1,000 sq ft) and to restrict ADUs in subdivision districts, then sent the ordinance back to the planning commission for rulemaking.
Amelia County supervisors voted to send changes to the county’s proposed accessory dwelling unit (ADU) ordinance back through the rulemaking process and to the planning commission after asking staff to revise two key elements.
Staff told the board the draft would allow ADUs by right in non‑subdivision districts (A5/RP5/RR3) and exclude them from zoning districts where property owners could create new subdivisions. Several supervisors said that approach met the goal of keeping ADUs out of subdivisions while allowing them in rural and non‑subdividing zones.
Board discussion focused on the proposed maximum size. One supervisor warned that a flat 1,000‑square‑foot cap could make an ADU disproportionately large relative to a small primary dwelling. The board agreed to change the size rule to cap an ADU at 50% of the conditioned floor area of the primary dwelling, up to a hard maximum of 1,000 square feet, and to retain the other zoning restrictions discussed.
Speaker 7 moved to direct staff to send the revised ordinance back through the rulemaking process and to the planning commission. The motion carried. Staff said they would draft ordinance language reflecting the two changes for the planning commission to review.
The action is a procedural referral to the planning commission; any eventual ordinance adoption will return to the board after the planning commission’s recommendation and required public hearings.
