Planning board approves ADU at 1801 Beck Avenue with required fire‑rated wall

The Cody Planning and Zoning Adjustment Board voted Jan. 15 to allow an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) to be created within an existing nonconforming structure at 1801 Beck Avenue, adding a condition that the remodel include a fire‑rated wall.

Jenny Kramer, city planning staff, told the board the R‑3 zoning permits ADUs but the existing building has a 1.5‑foot eastern setback, short of the three‑foot requirement under city code 10‑6‑2, making the structure nonconforming and triggering review under city codes 10134 and 10136. "The request is for a dwelling unit to be created within an existing nonconforming structure," Kramer said, and staff recommended findings that the request meets qualifying criteria.

A board member raised safety concerns tied to the reduced setback, noting staff language that the primary impact is reduced fire protection for neighboring properties and that a firewall can address that impact. In response the mover proposed, and the board adopted, the additional condition that "the remodel shall include the construction of a fire‑rated wall." The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

The applicant was identified in the staff report as Hayden Bales of HSB Properties LLC. No members of the public spoke during the public hearing on the item, and staff noted findings 1 through 4 as the factual basis for approval. The board recorded the approval as subject to final adoption of a resolution documenting the findings.