City council wants an overhaul of Longmont’s land development code dealing with accessory dwelling units.
ADUs — smaller living structures on the same lot or attached to existing single-family homes — have become popular in some sections of Longmont and are mainstays in the Prospect and Mill Village neighborhoods, according to a staff report to council.
Councilmember Polly Christensen during a Tuesday night work session said some ADUs — also known as carriage houses or granny flats — are far from quaint. They have overwhelmed some older neighborhoods with their size and have advanced over green spaces and parking areas.
“We have some neighborhoods that are becoming very, very dense and it will get to a point where we will have no neighborhood at all,” Christensen said.
Council asked city staff to reshape the land development code dealing with ADUs to formalize the process of notifying property owners an ADU is planned in a neighborhood. Council members also had concerns about setback requirements for ADUs and their lack of compatibility in historic neighborhoods.
There was no indication when the revamped code will return for a council vote.
Erin Fosdick, senior city planner, told council members that deciding whether an ADU fits well in a neighborhood often depends on opinion. She added some ADUs are designed to appear much higher than their attached single-homes, which often skews perception.
“Compatibility can mean different things to different people,” Fosdick said.
ADUs, which have been championed as an affordable housing solution, can be a useful tool for including additional housing types without changing the character of the neighborhood, according to the staff report.
Longmont began permitting ADUs in 2001 and about 130 ADUs have been permitted since. About 74% of ADUs have been added in the Prospect and Mill Village neighborhoods, according to the report.
ADUs are allowed on lots with single-family detached homes and can be integrated into the main house or located in a detached structure. But the ADU must be on a permanent foundation, according to the staff report.
The ADU must be less than half the size of the main house and cannot be taller than the main house. There also are setback requirements for ADUs and a property owner is required to live in either the ADU or the main house.
As ADUs have spread in the city complaints about the dwelling also have grown. The issues include neighborhood compatibility, setbacks for detached ADUs, ADU height, ownership/residency requirements, as well as the cost and process of obtaining an ADU permit, according to the staff report.
Council members said enforcement of ADU requirements are hobbled by the lack of city personnel to do the job.
“If we don’t have the resources to make all of this work, then we are wasting our time,” Councilmember Joan Peck said.
