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St. Anthony council accepts Planning Commission ADU revision, debates occupancy, parking and accessibility
Summary
City Planner Steve Grittman said the Planning Commission recommends striking occupancy-age limits and amending floor-area rules; councilmembers debated occupancy caps vs. square-footage rules, parking requirements, licensing, inspection protocols and options to encourage affordable ADUs. The Council agreed to accept the Planning Commission's floor-area revision and asked staff to return the ordinance for formal readings.
City Planner Steve Grittman told the council at the July 14 work session that the Planning Commission recommended removing occupancy-age limits and amending the floor-area section of the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) ordinance. Grittman said prior language capped ADUs at 400–600 square feet and limited occupancy by age; the Commission recommended striking the age-based occupancy restriction so family structure is not defined by the city. Councilmembers signaled support for accepting the Planning Commission's recommended revision and asked staff to return the ordinance for formal readings.
Councilmembers focused on how occupancy limits, parking, and accessibility intersect. Councilmember Lona Doolan said she agreed with the Planning Commission that "it is not the City’s role to define what a family looks like" but proposed addressing parking and bedroom limits as other cities had done; she cited Bloomington's approach of capping occupants and limiting bedrooms while requiring off-street parking. Councilmember Nadia Elnagdy raised accessibility concerns, asking how a personal care assistant (PCA) could be accommodated under strict adult-occupancy limits; staff replied that removing the age/relationship language would alleviate verification issues and that modifications could be allowed with documentation of disability. City Manager Charlie Yunker and City Planner Steve Grittman also addressed technical concerns such as sewer-line inspection (televising the line), visible street addresses for rear ADUs, and confirming that electrical and fire-safety requirements are governed by the building code rather than the ordinance.
The council also discussed administrative licensing steps to track ADUs, the potential to encourage affordable or income-restricted ADUs through grants (Met Council noted), and whether duplexes or non-owner-occupied principal dwellings should be eligible. Staff said ADUs are intended as accessory to single-family homes and duplexes are excluded under the current draft. The Council agreed there is a larger comprehensive-plan discussion ahead on affordability, but at the work session accepted the Planning Commission's floor-area recommendation and asked staff to prepare the ordinance for first reading.
