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Council advances ADU ordinance changes to first reading to comply with Iowa law
Summary
The Ames City Council moved the city's accessory dwelling unit ordinance to a first reading to align with recent Iowa Legislature changes; the mayor noted that few ADU applications have been filed locally and the ordinance is expected to be adopted before July 1.
Mayor John Haila said changes passed by the Iowa Legislature required the city to update its accessory dwelling unit (ADU) ordinance, and the council moved those changes forward on first reading so the ordinance can be adopted before July 1.
"The Iowa legislature passed additional modifications, requirements that apply statewide relative to accessory dwelling units. And so, it was our responsibility to bring our ordinance into alignment with the changes that required by the Iowa legislature," Haila said.
Haila noted that, despite prior local efforts to allow ADUs — sometimes called in-law suites — there have been zero applications in many neighborhoods so far, which surprised council and staff. He and the host discussed ADUs' potential to support affordable housing and options for older adults.
The podcast did not include the specific statutory citations from the Iowa Legislature or the ordinance text changes; it only reported that the council moved the item to first reading and intended to adopt the ordinance before July 1. Vote counts, mover/second details, and the final ordinance text were not specified in the recording.
