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Trustees ask staff to review ADU rules and impact‑fee treatment after resident’s permit shock
Summary
Trustees asked staff to research accessory dwelling unit (ADU) definitions, size limits and impact‑fee application after a trustee reported paying roughly $10,000 more for ADU permit fees than expected, and staff outlined current code treating ADUs as 0.5 dwelling unit for density and impact‑fee purposes.
Trustees on June 29 asked staff to review Mead’s code and fee structure for accessory dwelling units after Trustee Harris described unexpectedly large permit fees tied to treating an ADU like a multifamily dwelling.
Trustee Harris said finishing a basement and permitting it as an ADU triggered about $10,000 in additional fees because the town’s impact‑fee calculations treat an ADU as a 0.5 dwelling unit for density and for certain impact fees. Planning staff member Todd explained that the town’s land‑use code treats an ADU as 0.5 dwelling unit for density and that maximum ADU sizes in the code range from about 850 square feet in denser zoning districts to 1,000 square feet in others. He said the board can decide whether to change how ADUs are defined and how impact fees apply.
Trustees directed staff to examine ADU definitions, fee scales, and examples from other jurisdictions, and to return with recommended code language and fee options. Trustees discussed balancing encouraging affordable housing through ADUs while ensuring development pays infrastructure costs.
Next steps: staff to prepare options on ADU definitions, size limits and a fee schedule; return with recommendations to the board for potential code amendments.
