The Planning and Zoning commission (P&Z) discussed accessory dwelling units at their regular February meeting Monday.
In a presentation from Community Development Director Tory Niewiadomski concerning housing infrastructure, Niewiadomski brought forward information concerning accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in a presentation similar to one he delivered to the Sulphur Springs city council previously.
ADUs include, according to Niewiadomski, “granny suites, in-law flats and backyard cottages.”
“Essentially, they’re just for secondary housing on a property,” Niewiadomski stated, and can be attached or detached. “It’s been a popular thing since baby boomers got to that age, … and family doesn’t want them to go into a nursing facility. You want to keep them close by and care for them and keep a watchful eye.”
Niewiadomski had provided the commission with a rough definition for an ADU and wanted their input before moving forward with the definition, for example, to the city council for further clarification. Niewiadomski’s definition included a building on the lot that was independently habitable with cooking and sanitation.
“They may not want to own a house anymore, but they still want to own property,” Niewiadomski said.
Chase inquired if this would include single-wide mobile homes, and Niewiadomski stated he was researching if the zoning laws already enacted by the city prevented single-wide mobile homes from being placed.
“The ones on wheels, I don’t know if they’re different. There may be considerations for that,” Niewiadomski said.
Niewiadomski said he was speaking to builders, as trailer homes and tiny homes are functionally different in that tiny homes range in the approximately 400-square-foot area, although like mobile homes, they may be pre-fabricated.
“They also look a lot different than a single-wide,” Niewiadomski stated. According to Niewiadomski, there are as many as 370 parcels of land within the city limits that would be eligible to host an ADU based on size.
Niewiadomski shared pictures of ADUs with the commission and stated he would like to include in any ordinances on ADU that they should not be taller than a principle structure.
Board member Tommy Harrison noted that any ADUs should match the materials and character of the house, and Chase agreed: “Who is going to be the architectural police?”
“We’ll probably have to write something in there, if it’s ever at the discretion that they can’t be of a lower quality,” Niewiadomski said.
“We’ve got to be careful with these; we could get into an argument,” English advised.
English also advised for a strictly-worded ordinance, as he felt that citizens could “take advantage of it.”
Chase recommended an architectural committee, which Niewiadomski said he has seen for full-sized homes, but not for ADUs.
“You’re just going to have to be careful with what you’re opening up,” English said.