City Council Meeting Date: June 4, 2019
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Scott Tempel, City Planner
Mitzi Baker, Community Development Director
Ben Martig, City Administrator
Title
Consider Ordinance revising Accessory Dwelling Unit regulations in Chapter 34 - Land Development Code
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council considers the second reading of an ordinance amending Accessory Dwelling Unit regulations in Chapter 34 - Land Development Code.
Summary Report:
As part of the Planning Commission work plan and the City Council Strategic Plan, which also coincides with the HRA's goals, the Planning Commission started working on potential modifications to the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) policies in July 2018.
ADUs could contribute to increased housing options within the community and have some potential to increase affordability (both for homeowners and tenants). The City currently allows ADUs as carriage houses. The proposed amendments create more flexibility in the regulations.
Background
The Planning Commission began work on considering changes to the ADU policies in July 2018 and developed language over several months. A public hearing was held on the draft ordinance at the November 15 Planning Commission meeting. Recommendations from the Planning Commission were forwarded to the City Council for consideration. Since January 2019, the Council discussed Ordinance language on several occasions, which resulted in several iterations of language changes and the version under consideration.
At the May 21, 2019 City Council meeting, this version of the Ordinance was reviewed and discussed. Some questions arose regarding the measurement of "gross square feet" and how that measurement is arrived at in relation to the finished grade or established grade of the curb. Images available from the internet were used to develop a short document intended to assist in conveying the means for arriving at these measurements. This document...
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