Community Government
City council approves new rules for ADUs
The Gig Harbor City Council on Monday, May 12, took steps to comply with a 2024 state law on accessory dwelling units, or ADUs.
The new state law requires cities to allow ADUs in every zone where single-family homes are permitted. Gig Harbor needed new regulations that specifically define, permit and regulate ADUs.
The council approved an ordinance that “provides homeowners with flexibility in establishing separate living quarters within or adjacent to their homes for the purpose of caring for seniors, providing housing for their children or obtaining rental income,” Senior Planner Jeremy Hammar wrote in his introduction to the ordinance.
It also “increases the range of housing choices and the supply of accessible and affordable housing units” in the community. And it ensures that the development of ADUs “doesn’t cause unanticipated impacts on the character or stability of neighborhoods.”
The ordinance allows up to two ADUs for each principal dwelling unit on any parcel that meets the city’s minimum lot size in that zone. The maximum size of each ADU is 1,200 square feet, not counting garage space. The minimum size must meet the requirements of the state building code.
Off-street parking space must be provided for each ADU, in addition to the parking provided for the primary unit.
Impact fees
The council voted 6-1 to approve the ordinance. Councilmember Jeni Woock voted against.
Among Woock’s objections is that the impact fees for accessory dwellings are 50% less than the fees the city normally collects from builders. The remaining 50% “has to come from some other source,” Community Development Director Eric Baker said. But it’s not clear what that source will be.
“I’m in favor of ADUs, but my major concern is those ‘missing’ impact fees. We don’t know where the other 50% of the impact fees will come from, and our general fund is really hurting right now. Either someone else will have to pay the other 50% or the city loses it,” Woock said.
ADUs can be used as short-term rentals, but they don’t count toward the 892 new housing units the state requires Gig Harbor to account for in the next 20 years. Of those, 567 need to be affordable housing. “I think ADUs could be very useful in helping us meet those affordable numbers,” Woock said in a follow-up conversation.
Upcoming meetings
The council meets for a study session at 3 p.m. Thursday, May 15, to hear a report on the 2025 legislative session and review water and sewer utility extension agreements for a single family residence. The meeting will be held in the community rooms at the Civic Center, and can also be accessed via Zoom.