Park City homeowners with lots of at least 11,000 square feet can now build detached backyard cottages after the council unanimously approved a new ordinance Thursday, Oct. 1, as first reported by KPCW.

The vote came the same day Utah Senate Bill 284 took effect, requiring cities to allow detached accessory dwelling units, or DADUs, on qualifying single-family lots. Planning Director Rebecca Ward told the council the city wrote its code to be as restrictive as the state allows.

The ordinance requires property owners to live on-site full-time. DADUs must be rented for at least 90 consecutive days. Nightly rentals are banned.

Units are capped at 18 feet in height. The state permits a DADU to be just under the size of the primary home, though Park City's specific size limits were not detailed at the meeting.

Homeowners who want to add a DADU must go through a public hearing so neighbors can weigh in.

What it means for residents

Councilmember Bill Ciraco said on KPCW's "Local News Hour" on Friday, Oct. 2, that the ordinance lets qualifying homeowners build a cottage, move into it and rent out their main house. The change "also helps with our housing problem for families," Ciraco said.

Ciraco noted the city ordinance does not override homeowners association restrictions. Neighborhoods with HOA covenants banning accessory units would still be off-limits.

Ward said detached units are now one of three ways Park City homeowners can add an accessory unit, though the other two options were not described at the meeting.

Background

SB 284, signed by Gov. Spencer Cox on March 18, requires cities across Utah to permit detached ADUs on qualifying lots, according to ADU Pilot. The law lets cities impose guardrails including owner-occupancy, the 90-day rental floor, height and setback rules, and design standards.

The ordinance arrives as Summit County grapples with a workforce housing shortage. About 21,000 workers commute into the county daily, according to Rich Sonntag, vice chair of the Summit County Housing Authority, who wrote in a July 29 county newsletter as reported by the Park Record. Sonntag wrote that high property and construction costs have made affordable housing nearly impossible for the private market to deliver. The Housing Authority has set a goal of 1,500 affordable units by 2035.

The council agreed to discuss possible incentives for accessory units at a future meeting, though no date was set.