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Planning board backs text amendment to allow larger accessory structures on very large lots
Summary
The Planning Board recommended that City Council consider a text amendment to section 4-2(b) of the Mebane Unified Development Ordinance to allow single residential accessory structures up to twice the heated floor area on lots larger than 40,000 sq ft, subject to setbacks, a 50-foot separation from the principal structure and other development standards; the board found the amendment consistent with the Mebane 2045 plan.
The Mebane City Planning Board voted to recommend that the City Council consider a text amendment to section 4-2(b) of the Mebane Unified Development Ordinance that would allow larger residential accessory structures on large lots. Staff described the preferred amendment as permitting a single residential accessory structure up to two times the heated floor area of the principal dwelling on lots that exceed 40,000 square feet, provided the accessory structure meets principal setbacks (including a typical 25-foot rear setback in many residential districts), is located at least 50 feet from the principal structure, and does not convert into a dwelling or business use.
Staff said the 40,000-square-foot threshold was chosen because the R-20 minimum lot area is 20,000 square feet, so lots over 40,000 square feet are at least double that minimum and are concentrated primarily in the town’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). Staff also noted other constraints — flood plain, stream buffers, watershed rules and maximum lot coverage — would continue to limit development even if the amendment is adopted. “We changed it to the 10% of the lot area… and then we added part b that was newly added in 2024 that no single residential accessory structure shall be larger than the heated floor area of the principal structure,” staff said, explaining the background and the proposed exceptions.
An applicant scenario was presented by Samuel Blake Dickerson, who said he purchased a smaller house thinking it was in the county and now seeks larger storage for recreational equipment. Dickerson said his home’s heated area is about 1,250 square feet and described a proposed accessory building roughly 30 by 70 feet; he stressed he does not intend the building to be a dwelling or a business. Board members asked for examples of uses and for clarification that the rule applies to heated square footage of the primary dwelling; staff confirmed that the measure is heated floor area of the principal structure and that accessory dwelling unit standards remain separate.
A board member moved to recommend the preferred text amendment and to find it consistent with the objectives and policies for growth and development in the Mebane 2045 comprehensive plan; the motion was seconded and passed. The board noted the item will go before City Council on June 1 for consideration.
