The City is proposing amendments to its Land Development Ordinance (LDO) to make the construction and approval of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) more simple. The proposed amendments generally decrease the number of standards that an applicant would need to consider when proposing an ADU.

The City’s LDO defines an ADU as “a dwelling unit that exists either as part of a principal dwelling or as an accessory building and is secondary and incidental to the use of the property as single-family residential.”

ADUs may be attached to a primary structure or detached and located elsewhere on a property. Check out the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) summary of ADUs, including their possible forms. (Graphic below is from AARP.)

ADUs help provide a range of housing options. They allow aging in place for family and friends and can also generate income for property owners. They are a form of gentle density, imperceptible in most instances, and allow neighborhoods to absorb incremental infill development.

ADUs are classified as accessory uses within the City’s LDO and are permitted with standards in all of the City’s residential zoning districts, as well as some mixed use and commercial zoning districts. This  Permitted Use Table shows the districts where ADUs are permitted.

The standards for ADUs are located within the City’s LDO, section 30-8-11.2. Now, ADUs are also subject to the requirements of principal uses in a particular zoning district. Those standards differ based on the type and intensity of each zoning district. Standards include setbacks, height, and building coverage of the site.

• ADUs must meet the accessory uses and structures standards, not those of principal uses.
• The owner of a property with an ADU is not required to live on the property.
• ADUs must meet the dimensional standards of accessory uses, not those of principal structures.
• ADUs no longer require a minimum square footage. 
• ADUs no longer need to have a “single family appearance” as viewed from the street.
• ADUs n

The City has adopted plans and policies that encourage a variety of housing. Primarily, one of the City Council’s strategic priorities is an Abundance of Attainable Housing.

The City’s comprehensive plan, GSO 2040, and the City’s most recent housing plan, Housing GSO, both support a variety of new housing and affordable rental and owner-occupied housing. 

The process began with analysis by Planning Department staff, looking at the current ordinance, past ordinances, applications related to ADUs at the Board of Adjustment, building permit data, and ways other jurisdictions regulate ADUs.

Staff then convened an ADU Work Group of technical experts (as described above) and an ADU Community Focus Group, which was selected by City Council members. Participants are listed below:

ADU Work Group
Brian Cheek
Will Yearns
Adam Marshall
Amanda Hodierne
Colin Russell
Rick Schlanginhaufen
James Wolfe IV
Patricia Malcolm
Megan Callahan
Jason Coleman