Rolling Meadows planners advance ADU options; staff to present two tracks for detached units

At its May 5 meeting the Rolling Meadows Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed a staff draft ordinance to allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and directed staff to prepare two regulatory approaches for detached ADUs: Option A (permitted with enhanced design and setback standards) and Option B (special use review). Commissioners supported treating attached ADUs and garage conversions as permitted uses and asked staff to return with illustrative examples and a feasibility spot-check for areas of the city where detached ADUs could be built under proposed standards.

Planner/Management Analyst Robert Savage opened the discussion by defining ADUs and listing forms — detached units, attached units, garage conversions, interior conversions, and coach houses — and said ADUs are commonly used for aging-in-place, young adult independence, or supplemental rental income. "An ADU is a secondary dwelling unit on a single lot, subordinate to and separate from the primary structure," Savage said.

Staff presented proposed regulations that include a maximum size of 1,000 square feet or 9% of the primary lot area (whichever is less), an extension of a 500 sq. ft. FAR exemption to ADUs, matching setback requirements to the unit type, a 15.5-foot height limit for detached ADUs (with coach house/over-garage exceptions up to 24 feet), and a recommendation of one parking space per ADU. The draft would permit one rental license per property (the ADU and primary unit may not be leased to two unrelated parties simultaneously), prohibit separate sale or parcel subdivision of ADUs, continue existing short-term rental prohibitions, and not include ADUs in the City's impact fee schedule.

ACM/DCD Glen Cole framed the local approach against regional experience and the proposed statewide "Build Act," noting staff aimed to keep the draft largely consistent with the state proposal except for the size cap. Cole cautioned strict owner-occupancy requirements can function as a "poison pill" that deters applications and recommended predictable standards (setbacks/design) over discretionary special-use review if the Commission wants to retain control without effectively banning ADUs.

Commissioners expressed several concerns: Commissioner Roos said he preferred prohibiting new detached ADUs outright to protect neighbor privacy and limit freestanding structures, while others favored targeted design or setback requirements. Staff estimated construction costs for new ADUs at roughly $120,000–$150,000, with prefabricated modular options potentially available starting around $30,000–$40,000 plus installation. Staff also noted that if the Build Act becomes law, state preemption could require the city to amend local rules, and the Commission requested staff return with options and illustrative examples before any public hearing.

Next steps: staff will prepare Option A and Option B, assemble aerial examples and a spot-check analysis of feasible locations, and brief City Council informally (Committee of the Whole) before returning the matter to the Planning and Zoning Commission for a public hearing targeted for June or July 2026.