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Willows council and planning commission press staff to confirm state rules for ADUs and reconsider CEQA language
Summary
City staff said state law prompted major ADU updates in proposed Title 18 zoning code; council members asked staff to confirm whether limits such as a 1,200 sq ft cap and a 'one-bedroom' provision are state requirements and urged revising an absolute CEQA exemption statement.
City staff told the joint Willows City Council and Planning Commission on May 19 that a state notice required updates to the city's accessory dwelling unit (ADU) rules in the proposed Title 18 zoning code. Joe Betancourt, the city's redevelopment and services director, said the draft reflects recent state changes and that staff will verify which provisions are mandatory.
Council members raised multiple concerns about language in the draft. One provision limits a detached second dwelling to 1,200 square feet; another passage reads that such units may not have more than one bedroom. Several members said they were not sure whether the bedroom restriction is a state mandate or leftover local code and asked staff to confirm the statutory requirement before the council adopts local rules. "We'll get the state code, and then we'll get an email out to you guys on this because it's obviously very important to everybody," Betancourt said.
Members also questioned an environmental determination near the top of page 62 in the draft ordinance that finds the adoption and implementation exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and asserts "no possibility" of significant environmental effects. Some members said they were uncomfortable making an absolute statement about environmental impacts when the changes could allow more dwelling units on small parcels. Several suggested striking or rewording the sentence and asked staff to confirm the appropriate CEQA treatment in light of state ADU exemptions.
Councilors asked staff to cross-check the ADU language against the city's housing element and general plan and to report back with the exact state citations and any locally allowable modifications, including whether bedroom limits or unit-count caps are within the city's authority to alter. Betancourt said he would return with the precise state references and proposed edits for further consideration. The council made no formal decision at the meeting and deferred final action pending staff verification.
