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Supervisors direct staff to revise ADU rules, capping size at 50% of primary dwelling
Summary
The board directed staff to send an amended accessory dwelling unit ordinance to the Planning Commission that would limit ADU size to 50% of a primary dwelling's conditioned floor area, up to 1,000 sq. ft., and keep ADUs out of subdivisions by zoning district. The motion carried.
The Amelia County Board of Supervisors moved to send revisions to the accessory dwelling unit (ADU) ordinance back to the Planning Commission after discussing zoning boundaries and size limits.
Planning staff proposed allowing ADUs by right in rural districts (RP5 and RR3) that generally do not permit subdivisions and restricting them in districts where subdivisions are allowed. Supervisors debated a maximum square-footage approach and a size-based proportional cap; Supervisor (speaker 5) proposed and the board agreed to a drafting change that would state: “an accessory dwelling unit shall not exceed 50% of the square footage of the primary dwelling up to a maximum of 1,000 square feet of conditioned floor area.” Planning staff (Austin) agreed to draft the precise ordinance language and begin the rule-making process with the Planning Commission.
The board also discussed bedroom and height restrictions, and whether ADUs could effectively match primary dwelling scale in small homes. After clarifying the drafting path, a motion to direct staff to send the revised ordinance to the Planning Commission and start the adoption process carried by voice vote.
