(PENSACOLA) --- The Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) code here is one step closer to final.
No presentation, action items kept the City of Pensacola Affordable Housing Committee short and focused on ADUs. Players at the table for the thirty-minute meeting on June 2 included Chair Paul Ritz; Ed Brown with Gulf Winds Credit Union; Debra Mays with REMAX Horizons Reality; Percy Goodman, Community Enterprise Investments; Tracy Pickens, City of Pensacola, and resident Penelope Nahom.
The committee considered the "hot button issue" again regarding the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) code that was discussed in May. As noted in the ADU city code, the "intent of the regulations for accessory dwelling units is to ensure that the single-family residential character of the zoning district is preserved.
(Photo: Pensacola Affordable Housing staff documents on Accessory Dwelling Units, ADUs)
General requirements in the ADU code include lot size, number of units, identification of units and their requirements, exterior modifications, and off-street parking. Committee members discussed a video they reviewed, along with documentation.
Ritz said ADUs have historically been an effective way to increase housing availability in the city, noting that when he was in high school, there were many ADUs in East Hill compared to now.
"But it falls upon the homeowner to make that decision," Ritz said. "It's not something the city can force."
Also called "mother-in-law cottages," Ritz said, adding there is one ADU on his city block, and the homeowner uses it for a short-term vacation rental. Mays raised some issues she heard about on ADUs and utilities, and "whether they are separated or not."
"I know some people want them to be and some don't," Mays said.
From a building code standpoint, Ritz said, "The main house has grandfathered in some but really should be fed from their own meter."
"In part because of power safety concerns," Ritz said, adding there may be some allowances for feeding out of the main house.
(Photo: City of Pensacola Housing Program Coordinator Tracy Pickens at the June 2 meeting)
Pickens pointed out that a guest speaker in the video referred to Tallahassee breaking down ADU's, which "gave some great ideas in what they are doing for the community in the public."
(Photo: Tallahassee Government website)
Pensacola's aging population calls for an ADU need, Mays said, noting that restricting land use code could infringe on ADUs.
"That has never been discussed," Pickens said.
Ritz said that in the event of a "citizen uprising," he thinks the ADU allowance will remain in effect. Brown called the code "liberal and accommodating," and Goodman noted a CBS News Sunday Morning report on ADUs' popularity.
Any further discussion would involve asking, "What are the ideas to promote the public's realization of ADUs?" before voting on the final code to present to the city council.
The committee also discussed residential density bonuses, which the public is also somewhat unaware of, according to Ritz.
While businesses are more savvy about bonuses, Ritz said that during his time on the Planning Board, he saw some seeking the maximum density bonus to preserve environmentally sensitive lands and open space for public benefit.
(Photo: Pensaocla Affordable Housing Committee Chair Paul Ritz discussing all things ADU at the June 2 meeting)
He has seen it along or near the water in downtown Pensacola. Ritz asked Pickens to research how often the bonus is used in the city for background and to discuss it further for medium-density or higher development.
"Once we hear that it may, or may not, change how we think about this," Ritz said.
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