Code updates to allow more so-called mother-in-law suites, granny flats and backyard cottages in Colorado Springs are moving forward. City council voted Tuesday to expand the opportunity to build accessory dwelling units, known as ADUs, on residential properties throughout the city.
There are limitations though. For example in districts designated as vulnerable to wildfires, secondary living spaces must be inside the primary home.
Under the new proposed changes, only one ADU is permitted per lot. The ADU size is limited to half the square footage of the primary residence or 1,250 square feet, whichever is less. If the main home is less than 1,500 square feet, the ADU can be up to 750 square feet.
Detached ADUs can only be a single story, 16 feet high or less, and additions to the top of garages can’t exceed 25 feet in height. ADUs attached to or built inside a home can’t increase the height of the home.
One off-street parking space is required per ADU and short term rentals will be prohibited on properties where new ADUs are built.
Opponents of the changes are concerned about public safety and other issues that might be caused by added population density.
Councilors Dave Donelson and Mike O’Malley moved to table the action. They wanted planning staff to study the potential effects of the code update. That motion failed and Lynnette Crow Iverson joined them in voting against the ordinance.
City officials say fewer than 60 ADUs have been constructed in the last five years under the current codes and the new ordinance will remove barriers to this kind of additional housing options.
If council gives final approval in early April, the new codes will go into effect this summer and will bring the city’s codes into alignment with a state law that went into effect last year.
