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Council rewrites accessory‑building rules and raises maximum height to 32 feet after public support
Summary
The council amended accessory‑building rules: it removed stacked minor/major categories, measures building size by defined 'footprint', requires a conditional‑use permit for any accessory detached footprint over 2,000 sq ft, limits accessory coverage to 10% of lot area up to a 14,000 sq ft cap, and (by council amendment) raised the maximum accessory height from 26 to 32 feet. Public commenters from Silver Creek supported the change to avoid forcing property owners to demolish existing buildings to add reasonable replacement barns or ADUs.
Planning staff presented a rewrite of accessory‑building rules after several years of application problems and loopholes. The proposal closes loopholes that allowed multiple small detached structures to multiply total accessory square footage, clarifies the footprint measurement (explicitly excluding unenclosed porch elements), and defines when a structure is "detached" versus "attached" (unenclosed breezeways and trellises may connect buildings without making them attached). Under the revised approach, any detached accessory building with a footprint greater than 2,000 square feet will require a conditional‑use permit; accessory coverage is limited to 10 percent of lot area up to a 14,000 square‑foot maximum on large parcels; steel shipping containers remain prohibited.
Public commenters with large, existing accessory buildings said the change would reduce enforcement paradoxes that forced owners either to demolish serviceable buildings or attach them in ways that undermined function. A local builder supported raising the accessory height limit; the council amended staff’s proposed 26‑foot maximum to 32 feet before adopting the ordinance. The motion as amended passed unanimously.
