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Huachuca City council discusses allowing tiny homes as accessory dwelling units
Summary
At a Jan. 29 work session the Huachuca City Council opened discussion on classifying tiny homes as accessory dwelling units and possible code changes including setback reductions, utility-metering rules, and occupancy constraints; staff presented detailed draft standards but no land-use vote was taken.
Huachuca City’s Town Council on Jan. 29 opened a discussion on whether tiny homes could be treated as accessory dwelling units (ADUs) under the town’s zoning code. Dr. Jim Johnson presented a recap of ADU options and a set of draft standards the council could consider.
The presenter identified several specific constraints under discussion: only one ADU would be permitted per single-family lot; ADUs may be attached or detached but “must be accessed from main street (in front), not from the alley;” ADUs could not be subdivided or separately owned from the primary dwelling; ADUs would share the same water, sewer and electric utility providers and meters as the primary house (no separate meters); each ADU would have its own entrance; ADUs would be required to meet the same design standards as the primary house; and the primary house would need to meet minimum property/building maintenance standards before an ADU could be approved. Staff also noted a proposed limit that ADUs “cannot contain more than one bedroom” and discussed lowering side setbacks from 7 feet to either 5 feet or 3 feet to better accommodate small units.
The procedural motion to open Item B.1 was moved by Mayor Johann Wallace and seconded by Council member Christy Hirshberg. Council members discussed the trade-offs of relaxing setbacks and meter rules to encourage smaller-unit construction while maintaining neighborhood character and service provision. The session recorded no formal vote to adopt code changes; the agenda language stated the council “may give direction to staff on these subjects for action at subsequent Council meetings.”
Next steps: staff were asked to continue analysis and the council may consider returning with proposed ordinance language or specific regulatory amendments at a future meeting. No ordinance or binding policy change was adopted at the Jan. 29 work session.
