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Local owner seeks city help to build ADA‑accessible ADU; requests fee and small land purchase assistance
Summary
Samar Houston of Alpenlow Properties asked the committee for grant support to cover right‑of‑way vacation and permitting costs (application fee ~$16,223 and a small adjacent land purchase estimate), offering a 9‑year deed restriction on an ADA‑accessible ADU if approved.
Samar Houston, a local rental property owner and licensed medical professional, requested funding assistance for a small infill accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on her lot. She said the principal costs are a right‑of‑way vacation application fee (which she cited as $16,223) and an estimated $60,000 to purchase a narrow strip of city right‑of‑way adjacent to her lot so an accessible ADU plan could be constructed.
Samar framed the project as an infill, ADA‑accessible solution and said she would absorb construction costs and offer a nine‑year deed restriction to maintain affordability; she described the ADU plan as an accessible “Ethan” plan and said the ADU could be built as early as October if the city approved the right‑of‑way adjustments promptly. “So part of the money that I'm asking for is...the $16,000 is the right‑of‑way plus what I estimated would be $60,000 to buy that essentially a six to ten foot border around my lot to buy that from the city,” she said.
Committee members and audience members expressed support for reducing permitting barriers for small infill projects, and staff noted the city is exploring whether ride‑way vacation fees or similar costs for affordable ADUs should be reconsidered at the council level. No funding decision was made; staff indicated council and administrative processes would be involved if the committee recommends fee relief or grants for this type of small ADU case.
