Laserfiche WebLink
Memo <br /> <br />To: <br /> <br />From: <br /> <br />cc: <br />Date: <br /> <br />Re: <br /> <br />Board of County Commissioners <br /> <br />Rodger H. Lentz, Planning Manager <br /> <br />07/08/03 <br /> <br />Zoning Text Amendment - Accessory Buildings <br /> <br />For the past several meeting the Planning and Zoning Commission has discussed current regulations <br />regarding accessory buildings and the potential need to adjust those regulations. A Planning <br />Commission member raised the issue after an accessory building was constructed in the Poplar Trails <br />subdivision. Neighboring property owners felt that the accessory building in Poplar Trails was too large. <br /> <br />Attached is the proposed solution for this issue. It is a text amendment that will limit the total square <br />footage of all accessory buildings on a lot as a percentage of the total lot area. For example on a one <br />acre lot (43,560 square feet) a property owner could construct a total of 1,307 square feet (43,560 x <br />0.03) of accessory buildings (measuring footprint only - second story area is not counted in the <br />calculation). On a five acre tract (217,800 square feet) a property owner could construct a total of 4,356 <br />square feet (217,800 x 0.02) of accessory buildings. On a one-quarter acre tract (10,809 square feet), <br />an owner could construct a total of 600 square feet of accessory buildings. As always, agncultural uses <br />are exempt from these standards. <br /> <br />The interpretation of the current regulation limited the size of an individual accessory building to being <br />no larger than the footprint of the enclosed area of the principal structure. Therefore, someone with a <br />2,000 square foot ranch home could build a 2,000 square foot accessory building while a person with a <br />2,000 square foot two-story home could only build a 1,000 square foot building. The current regulation <br />does not cap the total number of accessory buildings permitted. In fact, a person could build as many <br />accessory buildings as desired so long as you did not exceed the lot coverage standard in Chapter five <br />of the zoning ordinance. <br /> <br />The Planning Commission's stated purpose for the change is two fold. First, the change will limit the <br />number of structures and size of structures in suburban and urban settings thereby ensuring <br />compatibility with thee neighborhood. Second, in a rural setting, the proposed change will allow persons <br />to construct larger buildings than are permitted by the current regulations. <br /> <br />Staff recommends approval of the proposed text amendment. <br /> <br />· Page 1 <br /> <br /> <br />