Escalon planning commission backs ADU code update, recommends council adoption

The Escalon Planning Commission voted 4-0 to recommend that the Escalon City Council adopt ordinance amendment 26816, a measure updating the city's accessory dwelling unit (ADU) rules to conform with a series of recent state laws.

City staff told the commission the ordinance is intended to preserve local standards where state law allows while bringing local code into alignment with new statewide requirements. "City staff brought forward an ordinance that would adopt, re-adopt basically, all of the codes that we had in place, but now in conformance to the new laws that were passed," a city staff presenter said during the hearing.

The commission and staff focused on the specific technical details that remain within local control. Staff said side and rear setbacks are set by state law at 4 feet and cannot be changed locally, while the city is proposing a 25-foot front setback for ADUs. "We've gone with 25 feet as the front setback requirement for ADUs," a staff…