Council adopts ADU ordinance

SANDPOINT - After stalling out at two previous sessions, the City Council passed an accessory dwelling unit ordinance Wednesday that it hopes will bolster the number of affordable housing units in the city.

ADUs, which had been illegal in many parts of town, are living quarters attached to or created within single family dwellings. The ordinance will allow for new ADU construction and will begin the process of legalizing existing units, said City Planner Jeremy Grimm.

Because illegal ADUs have not been registered with the city, there is no definitive count on the number of existing units, but at an earlier meeting Grimm estimated there could be hundreds of structures already in town.

As had been the case during the two previous sessions involving the ordinance, disagreements over additional amendments again threatened to derail the plan on Wednesday.

Councilman John Reuter argued that the exterior finish material of ADUs should visually match the type, size, and placement of the exterior finish material of the adjoining house. Reuter's amendment would have required ADU's to mirror the roof pitch, window type, exterior finishing material and trim of the primary home.

A number of council members, including Councilman Michael Boge, said the amendment was too stringent and argued residents should have more leeway in building the units.

"If someone lives in a metal Quonset hut and wants to add on an ADU, would they have to build a smaller version of a Quonset hut?" Boge asked.

A compromise was eventually reached when language was added to the amendment giving the city's planning director the authority to modify design requirements on an individual basis.

In other business, the council voted unanimously to approve the preliminary subdivision and final planned unit development for Moon Ridge Estates, a proposed 20-unit residential development located on 4.7 acres of land east of Boyer Avenue.

The council also unanimously approved a declaration of intent to apply for another Safe Routes to School grant, accepted the lowest bid for the purchase of four police vehicles in the amount of $93,293.44, and waived parking fees in the city lot from Nov. 28 to Dec. 31.

The council also acknowledged the completion of its series of workshops focused on the city's comprehensive plan, which has been in the works for nearly two years. The comp plan will now move to the Planning Commission for another public hearing before returning to the council for a vote.