The Division of Planning Proposes Changes to the ADU Ordinance
In Tuesday’s General Government and Planning (GGP) Committee, Autumn Goderwis and Chris Taylor of the Division of Planning will present the annual Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Update.
ADUs are secondary, smaller housing units on the same lot or in the same structure of a single-family home. These usually take the form of basement apartments, above-garage apartments, or an entirely separate structure.
Lexington City Council passed an ordinance allowing ADUs in late 2021. You can read about that ordinance on our ADU issue page. Since then, only five ADUs have been permitted in Lexington.
The Division of Planning will propose changes to the ADU ordinance to make ADUs easier to develop. Some of those changes include:
Allowing new structures to be built for ADU use. In the current ordinance, only structures built before October 2021 may be converted into an ADU.
Allowing ADUs to be more easily used as short-term rentals (STRs). Currently, ADUs can only be used as STRs if the operator gets a conditional use permit from the city, and the operator lives on the same property as the STR. Both of those requirements would be removed in this new proposal.
Eliminate the requirement that the property owner must live on the same property as an ADU that they operate. This would allow landlords who own single-family homes to build ADUs on those same lots.
The new proposal would also provide regulations for Accessory Living Quarters (ALQs). ALQs are attached sections of a single-family home that are used for separate or independent living and are complete with a second kitchen, bathroom facilities, and their own dedicated entrance from the outside. ALQs, like ADUs, easily allow multi-generational living for families with aging members.
You can read the full presentation here.
These proposals are making their way through the Planning Commission, and are expected to receive a public hearing in October. After the Planning Commission votes on the proposal, Council will vote on it themselves.
The GGP Committee meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 19th at 1pm in Council Chambers. You can attend in-person or watch live on LexTV.
