The owners of 253 lots in several Linn County communities will soon have the option of adding an accessory dwelling unit of up to 400 square feet, due to actions taken Wednesday by Linn County Commissioners John Lindsey and Will Tucker.
Commissioner Roger Nyquist was not present.
The issue was previously unanimously approved by the County Planning Commission and comes in the wake of legislative action in the 2017 session. The intent of Senate Bill 2017 was to help cities develop more affordable housing, said Planning Director Robert Wheeldon.
The lots are all within urban growth area-rural residential zoned areas in Albany, Brownsville, Harrisburg, Lebanon, Mill City, Scio, Sweet Home and Tangent.
Most of the communities have only a handful of lots that qualify, except Albany and Mill City, which have several properly zoned lots.
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According to planner Alyssa Boles, the homeowners have several choices. They can add up to 400 square feet of living area onto their current home; remodel a portion of the home with a separate entryway into a second housing area; or build a new dwelling, as long as it falls within proper setback rules.
According to materials provided to the commissioners, approximate lots per city are: Albany, 68 lots; Brownsville, 4; Harrisburg, 17; Lebanon, 7; Mill City, 64; Scio, 5; Tangent, 40; Sweet Home, 25.
Before the new code text becomes effective, a final resolution will need to be approved at the board’s June 5 meeting. The amended language would have these provisions:
• Only one ADU is permitted per lot.
• It cannot exceed 800 square feet in size.
• It will use the same driveway entrance as the primary dwelling, although the driveway may be extended to accommodate the new dwelling.
• The ADU must be attached to a permanent foundation for which a valid building permit has been obtained.
• Not permitted are: recreational vehicles; park model recreational vehicles; yurts or similar structures; or any structure that does not meet all applicable Oregon Residential Specialty Code requirements.
• Short-term rental of the ADU is not permitted and owner occupancy of the ADU or primary dwelling is required.
The Legislature has defined “affordable housing” as that which can be accessed by families with incomes equal to or less than 60 percent of a county’s median family income.
The commissioners noted that the Senate bill primarily targeted metropolitan areas and Wheeldon agreed.
“It’s not a rural lands bill, it’s an urban lands bill,” Wheeldon said.
But he reminded the commissioners that Oregon’s land-use process was set up in general to discourage development on farmland. “We people don’t build a bunch of houses in rural areas on farmland,” he said.
Commissioner Tucker said the state could have enhanced the bill by adding options for rural areas.
“I don’t think this will make a significant difference in terms of affordable housing for us,” he said. “I understand that the Legislature’s intent was to get more development going, but it looks like in Linn County many of these lots are bare and someone would have to build a primary dwelling before adding the accessory dwelling. It just doesn’t look like it will do anything for us.”
Wheeldon said the county is obligated by law to make this available to qualifying property owners.