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S.B. - Page 5 of 42 <br />home. The Planning Commission supported staff's recommendation to exempt ADUs from lot coverage <br />because of the limited allowable application of lot coverage to ADUs by State law and to provide more <br />flexibility given the proposed 16 ft. height limit for detached ADUs. <br />Recommendation: Exempt all ADUs from lot coverage requirements. <br />Short Term Rentals: State law requires cities to prohibit short-term rentals of ADUs up to 800 sq. ft. and <br />allows cities the option to prohibit short-term rentals of all other ADUs. Short-term rentals are defined as <br />dwelling units or portions thereof that are rented for periods lasting less than 30 days, commonly offered <br />through online hosting platforms such as Airbnb, VRBO, and HomeAway. The City's short-term rental <br />regulations, adopted in 2018, do not allow an ADU to be used exclusively as a short-term rental and may <br />only be used if the ADU is the primary residence of the short-term rental host and then would be limited <br />to 120 calendar days within a year. There are currently seven properties in Redwood City that contain <br />both an ADU and a registered short-term rental. <br />In July, the City Council indicated that these existing seven properties may be financially impacted by <br />retroactively restricting them from using their properties as short-term rentals. The Planning Commission <br />supported ADUs as long-term rentals to address housing supply and housing affordability. Homeowners <br />would still be able to rent ADUs on a long-term basis greater than 30 days. <br />Recommendation: Prohibit short-term rentals for any existing or new ADUs. <br />INFORMATIONAL UPDATES <br />California Dept. of Housing and Community Development (HCD) Update <br />Since the Planning Commission hearing, staff has received feedback from HCD on their review of the City's <br />proposed ADU ordinance amendments and in September HCD also released an ADU Handbook <br />summarizing the changes to State law. The City is required to submit the finalized ADU ordinance to HCD <br />to review for compliance with State law. The following clarifying comments are based on the HCD ADU <br />handbook, HCD's review of the City's draft ordinance, and HCD's responses to staff questions: <br />• The proposed height recommendation for a 16 ft. height maximum for an attached ADU within <br />the rear setback would comply with State law. <br />• ADUs are required to be allowed along secondary frontages with a 4 -foot setback on corner lots. <br />(As a result of this feedback, revisions to various Zoning Ordinance articles to alter secondary <br />street frontage standards are no longer being proposed.) <br />• On multifamily lots, cities must allow either a conversion of uninhabited space for up to 25% of <br />units in multifamily buildings or allow up to two detached ADUs. The City is not required to <br />combine the requirement, however the proposed ordinance would allow for both in order to <br />provide a variety of ADU opportunities. <br />• Fire sprinklers are allowed as a voluntary alternative to address fire code compliance. Cities may <br />request fire flow tests to show sufficient water service to the site and sufficient hose pull. <br />• The cumulative ministerial 60 -day review timeline for ADUs is tolled once staff provides <br />comments and continue again once the applicant resubmits. <br />Page 5 of 7 <br />City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcitV.org <br />333 <br />