Planning Commission backs ADU ordinance changes that set attached cap at 40% and confirm 1,000 sq ft detached limit

The North St. Paul Planning Commission voted unanimously June 4 to recommend that the City Council approve a zoning ordinance amendment clarifying the definition and limits for accessory dwelling units (ADUs).

Community development director Roberts presented the proposed revisions, which clarify that ADUs must meet state building-code requirements, be fully separated by a wall or floor with a separate entrance (though the ordinance may allow a connecting door), and may be located within a detached accessory structure. The draft sets an attached-ADU maximum at 40% of the principal dwelling’s floor area and maintains a 1,000-square-foot cap for detached ADUs, aligning the ADU cap with the city’s detached accessory-building limit. The amendment also requires municipal sewer and water connections to be routed through the principal dwelling unless approved otherwise by the public works director, and it prohibits selling an ADU separately or creating a separate tax parcel for it.

Commissioners discussed trade-offs between a percentage-based cap and a fixed square-foot limit for detached structures, the interaction with minimum-unit-size requirements, and whether utility routing and anti-splitting language properly protect the city from unintended lot divisions. Roberts said the 1,000-square-foot detached limit is consistent with current detached accessory-building limits and that the utility routing language is intended to avoid duplicate services without preventing lawful subdivision if all subdivision and utility requirements are met.

Following discussion, Commissioner Muick moved and Vice Chair Weise seconded a motion to recommend council approval of the ordinance amendments as presented; the motion passed unanimously. The commission recorded no public testimony on the amendment during the hearing.