The Lowell Planning Commission met for approximately 45 minutes on Monday night for their regular monthly meeting. There was only one item on the agenda, and all members were present except Commissioner Nicki Holst.
Accessory Dwelling Units
The one item on the agenda was a discussion of accessory dwelling units. These are secondary residential dwellings placed on properties that already have a primary residence. Depending on how a community regulates them, they may include apartments above garages, attached buildings or entirely separate homes. Currently, the City of Lowell does not allow accessory dwelling units of any type.
At their last meeting, planning commissioners asked to see samples of ordinances from other communities that allow them. Andy Moore, the commission’s planning consultant from the firm Williams & Works, provided samples from the following municipalities:
- City of the Village of Douglas
- City of Grand Haven
- City of Ionia
- City of Niles
Moore noted that there were many other communities that simply do not allow accessory dwelling units.
Commission Discussion
Commissioner Marty Chambers said he liked the example from Niles which showed four options for attached accessory dwelling units (ADUs) rather than separate buildings.
“I think it should match the house,” said Chair Tony Ellis in his initial comments. He later noted that the commission’s approach to ADUs would depend on the reason for allowing them. “Is it for the growth of the city or is it for family comfort?” he asked.
Moore noted that Ionia limits ADUs to no more than 40% of the size of the lot’s primary residence. However, he thought the provisions of the Grand Haven ordinance might be a better fit for Lowell since some homes in the city are quite small. The Grand Haven ordinance stipulates that ADUs must be between 400-800 square feet.
Regardless of what size the ADU is, provisions related to lot coverage – currently 30% in Lowell’s R-2 district – would still apply.
“One thing I don’t want is that someone build these and then they are on Airbnb,” Chambers said. While discussing that point, commissioners agreed that they would want to require that the property owner live in one of the dwelling units.
At the end of the conversation, commissioners directed Moore to prepare a draft ordinance with the following requirements.
- ADUs must be between 400-800 square feet.
- They can’t be taller than the primary residence.
- They must have a private water meter but can hook into the primary home’s sewer line.
- One parking spot on the property must be provided for the ADU.
- Their exterior appearance must match the house.
- A deed restriction will be required to ensure the ADU can’t be sold separately from the primary residence.
- A trailer pulled onto a lot will not qualify as an ADU.
- ADUs cannot be used as short-term rentals.
- Property owners must live on-site.
Commissioners also agreed that ADUs could be allowed by right, meaning that staff could approve them. A property owner who wanted to build an ADU that did not conform to the standards above could request a special land use permit. The process for getting a permit would involve a public hearing before the Planning Commission and notification to neighbors.
Moore will bring a draft ordinance to the commission at a future meeting.
The next regular meeting of the Lowell Planning Commission will be Monday, June 9, at 7pm in Lowell City Hall. Commissioners are expected to review plans for an apartment development off Bowes Road at that time.
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