18-19.330 Guest Quarters.
a. Purpose and Intent. Guest quarters consist of attached or detached building space which contains bathroom facilities including toilets, bathing facilities, showers or sinks but does not contain a kitchen. The purpose of this section is to establish regulations for the development of guest quarters as an approved accessory use to a primary residential unit based on the following criteria:
1. Regulations on guest quarters are established to prevent conversion of guest quarters into unpermitted living space to ensure that such structures are not used as separate dwelling units.
2. Unpermitted conversion of guest quarters could result in effects detrimental to the public health, safety and welfare of the community, including but not limited to fire and life safety threats, adverse neighborhood parking, traffic congestion and noise impacts and creation of nuisances related to increased, unpermitted residential density without appropriate permit conditions and mitigations and the maintenance of unsafe or unsanitary permanent living quarters not permitted or intended to support primary residential uses.
b. General Requirements. Upon meeting the requirements of this section, guest quarters may be established in the LDR, MDR and MUX Zones, when the primary use on the site is a single-family dwelling and shall be subject to the following requirements. The Director may relax such standards or impose stricter standards as an exercise of discretion upon a finding that such modifications are reasonably necessary in order to implement the general intent of this chapter or to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public, community and the environment.
1. This section does not apply to legally established accessory structures permitted prior to the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter.
2. Guest quarters shall conform to all applicable zoning regulations such as height, yards, parking, building coverage.
3. Density and Size. The structure must be consistent with density provisions and development standards of the underlying zone. For the purposes of calculating density in multifamily zones, guest quarters will be considered an additional bedroom, accessory to the primary unit. The structure may not exceed four hundred fifty (450) square feet.
4. Areas Prohibited. Guest quarters shall not be allowed on nonconforming lots. Guest quarters shall not be established in any condominium or planned development project unless specifically addressed in the planned development ordinance as adopted or amended or any mobile home subdivision or trailer park.
5. Owner Occupancy. The property must be occupied by the property owner as the owner’s primary place of residence. If a property can no longer be occupied as the owner’s primary place of residence, the guest quarters may continue to be used as habitable space (e.g., office, pool house, art studio) but can no longer be used as overnight sleeping quarters.
6. No Separate Rental. Guest quarters may not be rented separately from the primary dwelling unit.
7. No Kitchen Facilities. Kitchens may not be installed and plumbing shall be provided for bathroom use only.
8. Design Review Required. All requests shall be reviewed for consistency with the City’s Design Review Manual. (Ord. #248-2020, S2 (Exh. A))