FAYETTEVILLE -- Residents will have a chance to weigh in on the city's accessory dwelling unit ordinance during a committee review session.
The City Council on Tuesday tabled a measure to change the ordinance. The city's Ordinance Review Committee, consisting of half the council, will explore the issue further July 19.
Ordinance Review Committee
When: 5 p.m., July 19
Where: Room 219, City Hall, 113 W. Mountain St.
An accessory dwelling unit is a smaller, livable structure separate from a home. It can be detached, attached or beneath the main house.
The proposed changes are intended to make building accessory dwelling units easier. As such, city planning staff recommends no longer requiring a deed restriction specifying the property owner live in the main or accessory structure.
Other suggested changes include changing the maximum size from 950 square feet to 1,200 square feet, not requiring parking space if the structure is smaller than 800 square feet and taking away standards required for accessory dwelling units but not for single-family homes.
The idea is to let extended family live on one piece of land, in separate buildings, with the overall property seen as one extended residence, city planners say.
The Planning Commission in February added ideas to the ordinance and forwarded the measure to the City Council. It was left on its second reading last month.
Staff has said the measure will help achieve the city's goals of attainable housing and appropriate infill development.
Rob Sharp, an architect who serves on the Planning Commission, told the council improving the ordinance will help match the city's housing stock with its demographics. Most residences have one or two people living in them, but the majority of homes are meant for families of three or four, he said.
"It's really important in stable, established neighborhoods that people find a way to provide options for housing," Sharp said. "Accessory dwelling units are a great way to give people flexibility."
NW News on 07/04/2018