Het verhaal
Palo Alto’s City Council on August 17 was split over building and separately selling larger backyard cottages, also known as accessory dwelling units or ADUs. Those units will be allowed up to 1,200 square feet.
The council voted 4-3 to have the Planning and Transportation Commission review whether owners may sell ADUs separately from the main house. Mayor Vicki Veenker, Vice Mayor Greer Stone, and Councilmember Julie Lythcott-Haims were ready that night to allow separate sales. “Why not be a little bit braver and a little bit bolder when it comes to experimenting with ADUs as a path to home ownership?” Lythcott-Haims said.
Councilmembers Pat Burt, Ed Lauing, and Keith Reckdahl wanted to go slower. “Rushing through substantive changes from the dais without having (the commission’s) more thoughtful input is unnecessary,” Burt said. Councilmember George Lu joined them, provided the commission’s recommendation returns to the council by the end of the year.