12-03-2025 Workshop Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Staff Report To: Mayor Fischer and Members of the Little Canada City Council From: Ben Harrington, AICP, Community Development Director Date: November 12, 2025 Re: WORKSHOP - PC 1445 - Accessory Structure Ordinance Updates (Ordinance Numbers TBD) Actions To Be Considered Following discussion, the City Council may: • Provide direction to staff on any desired amendments or clarifications. • Indicate whether the Council is comfortable with staff bringing the ordinances forward for formal consideration at the December 3 Council meeting. Background The City has undertaken a multi-phase effort to modernize its zoning code for improved consistency, clarity, and alignment with broader City goals. Each phase this year has focused on topics commonly addressed through zoning permits and daily development review. Earlier this year, the City adopted updates to regulations related to fences and driveways. The current phase addresses accessory buildings and structures, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and exterior material standards. These updates reflect direction provided during the June 2025 joint workshop of the Planning Commission and City Council and build upon additional input received at the September and October 2025 Planning Commission meeting. Over the course of those meetings, consensus was reached on key policy issues, including accessory building allotments, conditional use permit standards, performance-based criteria for ADUs, and improved exterior material requirements. Proposed Code Changes The proposed zoning ordinance amendments modernize standards for accessory buildings/structures, accessory dwelling units, and related provisions to improve clarity, consistency, and neighborhood compatibility. These revisions consolidate overlapping sections, clarify dimensional rules across zoning districts, and establish clear design and review criteria. The amendments affect Chapters 904 through 907, 914, 915, 918, and 919 of the Zoning Ordinance.