7:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 19, Bluffton Town Hall

By Paula Pyzik Scott

With the goal of helping ease local housing shortages, the Village of Bluffton Ordinance Committee has drafted an ordinance to provide regulations for Accessory Dwelling Units. On Tuesday, November 19, the Village council will hold a public information meeting to provide details of the current draft of the ordinance (documents attached). Changes to the ordinance are expected as part of this process.

On November 4, there was a joint meeting of the Ordinance Committee with the Planning Commission and Board of Zoning and Building Appeals to solicit input and prepare members who would be involved in permitting and appeals.

There are existing ADUs in Bluffton but no specific guidelines or regulations on construction or leasing are currently part of Bluffton zoning regulations. Chapter 150 - Building Regulations of the Village Code of Ordinances can be found at https://bit.ly/4fxndo0 Chapter 153 - Zoning can be found at https://bit.ly/3URu1EG. ▶︎

The Ordinance Committee has provided the attached overview chart and the following definitions/descriptions.

ADU Definition
Self-contained dwelling unit designed for occupancy by one family for living and sleeping purposes that provides complete independent living facilities, including its own entrance, kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping area; that is located on the same parcel as a larger single-family dwelling that serves as the principal use of the parcel; and whose use is subordinate and incidental to the larger single-family structure. Shall not exceed 1,000 sq. ft. in area.

Mobile tiny homes, recreational vehicles, travel trailers and any other wheeled or transportable structure shall not be permitted as accessory dwelling units.

Difference between ADU and a Duplex in R-I District
ADU is capped at 1,000 sq. ft.

Entrance
Each accessory dwelling unit must provide a separate exterior entrance independent of the entrance to the single-family dwelling to which it is subordinate and incidental.

Responsible person
A person designated by the owner of a lot on which an accessory dwelling unit is established as having the independent duty, responsibility (including financial responsibility), and authority to operate, maintain, and manage the parcel and all dwelling units thereon.

Ordinance Committee members are Joe Sehlhorst and Mitch Kingsley.

ATTACHMENTS
Zoning Code changes – ADU: the highlighted sections show the added text in the R-I, R-II, R-III, C-I, and C-II Districts. *Note that ADU’s are only permitted in the R-I and R-II Districts in this model.
ADU Ordinance -DRAFT: proposed Ordinance to present to Village council for approval
ADU Codified Ordinance – DRAFT: details how the new Section of Village Code will read online
24-09-04 Village of Bluffton ADU Checklist: to be used by the Zoning Department during the permitting process