Kearney City Hall, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
KEARNEY — After over a year of evaluation and discussions the City of Kearney has made the decision to not proceed with changes that would allow for Accessory Dwelling Units within the community at this time.
During the Kearney Planning Commission meeting on Friday, Dec. 20, Melissa Dougherty-O’Hara, Assistant Development Services Director, informed the board members of the decision.
An ADU is a small residence that is located on the same lot as a single-family home or a primary dwelling. As an independent living space an ADU is self-contained with its own kitchen or kitchenette, bathroom and sleeping area.
An ADU’s use is incidental to and customarily associated with specific principal use or building on the same site.
An ADU can be located within, attached to, or detached from the main residence and can be converted from an existing structure, like a garage or built new.
It was noted that Kearney does not allow for ADUs in the community at this time.
Several peer communities throughout Nebraska already have allowances for ADUs. Those include, North Platte, Grand Island, Hastings, Lincoln, Omaha, Fremont, Papillon, Bellevue and Norfolk.
Grand Island is the only community that allows attached ADUs. Five out of the ten communities require additional parking for ADUs, and the majority require a conditional use or special use permit.
All but two communities have design standards for ADUs, Dougherty-O’Hara said, these include height restrictions, roof pitch and design materials.
Only three of the ten communities have size restrictions for ADUs, which range from 750 square feet to 960 square feet.
Discussions began with a presentation to the Planning Commission back in February and there were discussions, outreach sessions and neighborhood meetings regarding ADUs.
“ADUs have been a major topic in many communities within Nebraska and across the country. Staff set out to explore this topic by understanding how other communities in Nebraska were allowing them and how the citizens of Kearney felt about this potential housing option,” according to the City of Kearney.
“While many communities in Nebraska allow ADUs they are all regulated differently. Some allow them by right (no additional approval from the neighborhood or City Council), others only allow them by an approval of a special or conditional permit. In some communities they regulate whether additional parking is needed, or how big or tall they can be,” the City of Kearney stated.
It was noted during the outreach sessions that many groups in Kearney agreed that ADUs could be allowed but they should be regulated, but many neighborhood groups opposed them entirely.
“After careful consideration, the city has decided not to proceed with changes to allow ADUs at this time, aiming to preserve the unique character of our neighborhoods,” the City of Kearney stated.
“This decision doesn’t rule out revisiting the topic in the future but has just been the decision for the City at this time. Given the current housing market challenges, adding ADUs is only one solution we have explored,” the City of Kearney stated.
“We continue working towards solutions that protect the look and feel of our existing neighborhoods while providing opportunities to ease the challenges of housing development in Kearney. The creation of the R1-D zoning district was one such solution that is providing more flexibility for new subdivision layout,” the City of Kearney concluded.
Planning Commission Vice-Chairperson Richard McGinnis voiced his disagreement with the city’s decision and said he feels it is a mistake to not continue to look into the matter.
McGinnis said he feels that Kearney is an outlier when it comes to ADUs and that “we are behind the times,” for not allowing them in the city.
He noted he would have to “agree to disagree,” with Dougherty-O’Hara on the matter.
Dougherty-O’Hara said that while there is no timeline in place to further address ADUs at the moment, the City never stops evaluating the need or desire for changes, including the attitude toward ADUs.
