Proposed text amendments governing family campgrounds and accessory dwelling units, as well as a draft regulation addressing blight in the community, absorbed the attention of the Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday night.
The impetus behind the accessory dwelling units (ADUs) discussion came from a proposed amendment put forward by member Jordan Stern, who said that the current regulation confines the size of an ADU to either 1,400 square feet or 40 percent of the living space of the principal building, whichever is smaller.
He said the P&Z has to adhere to this formula even if the ADU is created in an existing structure such as a barn or large accessory building. He recommended that a more flexible solution can be found in Kent’s zoning regulations, which dictate, “An accessory dwelling or guest house shall not exceed 33 percent of the floor area of the principal dwelling unless otherwise approved by the commission due to a logical configuration of interior space.”
Zoning Enforcement Officer Stacey Sefcik said the commission had a “very initial discussion” of the issue and will revisit it at future meetings.
Likewise, no conclusions were drawn about the proposed blight regulation or the existing family campgrounds regulation. Both will be discussed further.
The commission members discussed such basic concepts as what constitutes a family campground (i.e., should a family be defined by blood and marriage), how many units designed for sleeping might be allowed and whether owners should be allowed to rent the units.
For the blight ordinance, Sefcik provided definitions and a proposed regulation that would limit the number of unregistered cars that can be parked on a property, how long they can stay there, what constitutes blight conditions (such as how long construction debris can remain on a property) and provisions for junkyards.
She said she had gathered the draft regulation from various communities and remarked that she was open to discussion about different provisions.
The impetus for a regulation controlling blight arises from instances of unregistered vehicles on properties. Indeed, Sefcik’s enforcement report included four complaints about properties on Shepard Road and Greenwoods Road West.