Planning 2017-10-26 ITEM 4 - ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT REGULATION - STAFF REPORT

Browse Search

L17-0067 ADU Regulation Update Page 3 • Detached units must be set back at least as far from the street as the main house. This would not apply to the second front of a through or corner lot, or where the unit is incorporated into an existing structure such as a detached garage. • Limit height to 20 feet, which is lower than the existing 30 -foot height limit in LDR and would allow a 1 story building with a loft or attic space. Building height is calculated from the mid -point of any elevation change across the footprint of the house to the mid -point of the pitched roof. Average Grade Alternatives: A. Retain current ban on detached ADUs, Or B. Select different area or height standards 2. Increase the percentage of the house that can be occupied by an attached ADU Many houses are laid out in a way that makes it difficult to meet the limitation that the ADU occupy no more than 1/3 of the floor area of the house. Increasing this percentage could make for more livable units in small houses while retaining the 1,000 square foot ADU cap for larger houses. • Allow attached ADUs to occupy up to 40% of the square footage of the primary residence or 1,000 square feet, whichever is less. Alternatives: A. Retain standard limiting attached ADUs to 33% of the house, Or B. Select a different area standard 3. Reduce the lot area requirement from 7,200 square feet to 6,500 square feet There are approximately 3,000 Low Density Residential (LDR) zoned parcels that meet the 6,500 square foot minimum lot area in that Zone. Of these there are 330 between 6,500 and 7,200 square feet that would be newly eligible for an ADU if the area requirement were reduced. None of our neighboring cities limit ADUs to lots that are larger than the standard in their zone. W:A@SHAREPOINT FOLDER RESTRUCTURE\Code Updates\Code Amendments\ADU Proposal\PC Staff Report 10-26-17.docx 11