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Planning commission debates size, parking and owner-occupancy limits in draft detached-ADU ordinance
Summary
City staff presented a draft detached ADU ordinance required by recent state law; commissioners largely supported allowing ADUs on qualifying lots but debated a 1,200-sq-ft living-area cap, parking requirements and owner-occupancy rules and asked staff for impacts on utilities before adoption.
City Planner Caden presented a staff draft of a detached accessory dwelling unit (ADU) ordinance and reminded commissioners the state law requires municipalities to allow detached ADUs on qualifying lots.
“This is requiring us to now implement a detached ADU ordinance into our code,” Caden said, explaining the impetus for the draft and noting the new requirements will take effect Oct. 1. He told the commission the staff proposal would allow detached ADUs on single-family lots larger than 11,000 square feet, require owner-occupancy, limit parcels to one ADU and set a living-space maximum of 1,200 square feet.
Commissioners urged care on several points. Several members said a fixed 1,200-sq-ft cap is a simple, enforceable rule that preserves the accessory nature of ADUs, while others argued for tying ADU size to lot size to avoid allowing disproportionately large units on large lots. Commissioner John McKay and others repeatedly flagged bulk-and-massing and neighborhood impacts as a concern.
Staff also proposed utility and safety checks: the draft requires detached ADUs to connect to the same utility meter as the primary dwelling and comply with building, fire and health codes. “The detached accessory dwelling unit shall meet the same setbacks… and then this one's key as well, connect to the same meter of the main dwelling for water, gas, electricity, utility service, and the meter shall be in the name of the owner,” Caden said.
On parking, the draft uses the statute's allowance to require at least one on-site space and leaves the option to require two spaces to the commission. Commissioners asked staff to return with additional technical information, including expected numbers of ADU applications and utility/district feedback on culinary water and wastewater impacts.
What happens next: staff will revise the draft to address commission feedback, meet with the sanitary district for capacity input and return with a formal ordinance for a future action item and public hearing. The commission plans to continue refining size, parking and garage-conversion language before recommending adoption to the city council.
