Title
Consider public testimony regarding, and an ordinance amending Zoning and Development Code, Chapter 1, Article Ill, Section 1-50 and Chapter 2, Article II, Section 2-25, Code of Ordinances (2018 Edition), regarding dwelling units. (First Reading)*
Body
This ordinance adds a new definition for an attached accessory dwelling unit, provides for its use in the SF-3 (Single Family - Mixed Lot) zoning district, and revises how a dwelling unit is defined to use the number of front doors instead of the number of cooking facilities. Following the remodeling of a home in Round Rock West, staff was asked by a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission about how the City’s code defines a second dwelling unit, which is prohibited in single family zoning districts. Accessory dwelling units are only permitted in some mixed-use zoning districts, and in a limited manner in certain commercial and office zoning districts. A dwelling unit is defined by cooking facilities, such that a second set of cooking facilities indicates a second dwelling unit. Determining what constitutes cooking facilities makes it difficult to prevent a second dwelling unit from being created when homes are re-modeled. In addition, second cooking facilities added to a home post inspection are extremely difficult to identify.
Staff made a presentation to the Planning and Zoning Commission and the issue was discussed at several of their meetings in April and May. On June 17, 2020, the Commission held a public hearing on a code revision to provide a narrow definition for a cooking facility/kitchen, to make the determination of a second dwelling unit simpler. David Glenn, of the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin, presented floor plans for multi-generational housing that is being offered to home buyers. Since the new cooking facility/kitchen definition would affect the use of these floor plans, the Commission tabled action on the revisions.
After further analysis by staff and discussions w...
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