Council passes ADU legislation out of committee

This afternoon, the legislation loosening restrictions on “accessory dwelling units” or ADUs  passed out of committee and will be up for final approval by the full Council on July 1. For background, read my post from earlier this week on the amendments being considered. Most of the amendments under consideration passed. Among the few that didn’t: Amendment 4, offered by Council member Herbold, would have prohibited newly-permitted ADUs from being used for short-term rentals through AirBnB and other companies. O’Brien and Pacheco opposed it, while Harrell supported it from “detached” ADUs only. Amendment 5, also by Herbold, which would have …

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The reports are in on proposed new rules on backyard cottages

Council member Mike O’Brien’s proposal to increase the number of mother-in-law apartments and “backyard cottages” has been on hold for over two years, since the Hearing Examiner ruled in late 2016 that a full Environmental Impact Statement was required. The final EIS was published last week, and once the inevitable appeals are dealt with that hurdle will have been crossed. But later this week, O’Brien’s office will hold a special meeting to discuss a Racial Equity Toolkit evaluation of the proposal that looked on how it will affect underserved communities at risk of displacement. Let’s look at what the final …

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