Photo: In Catalyst
“As the debate rages on how best to address the housing crisis in St. Petersburg, city officials continue to explore every avenue for relief with a sense of urgency.
During Thursday’s Committee of the Whole (COW) Meeting, members of the city council heard an expansive presentation on how increasing accessory dwelling units (ADU), changing zoning regulations and increasing density along major corridors could help the housing problem gripping the region. The presentation is part of the St. Pete 2050 Plan and encompasses information gleaned from an extensive series of stakeholder meetings that began in May 2021.
Liz Abernethy, director of planning and development for the city, led the presentation for the committee. She said she had the pleasure of attending Tuesday’s St. Petersburg Development summit, and some of Mayor Ken Welch’s remarks on how the city will manage its explosive [growth] resonated with her.
‘He talked about protecting and preserving our authenticity, and that really struck a note with me,’ Abernethy said.
Abernethy said the city currently receives about 60 ADU permits per year, and outlined city code amendments that could increase that number. Those include removing the requirement for paved parking spaces and allowing gravel, deleting the 50% floor area restriction for two-story buildings, and allowing single-family ADUs in multifamily districts, which Abernethy called an oversight and contradictory.
Abernethy also proposed increasing the maximum unit size from 750 square feet to 800 square feet or 35% of the total floor area, excluding garages.
Abernethy explained that areas zoned as NT-3 (neighborhood traditional) do not allow new ADUs, although NT-3 areas are home to many existing ADUs. Many of these neighborhoods are on the far east and west sides of the city, and Abernethy said residents of Historic Old Northeast voiced concerns regarding additional ADUs. The reservations are due to potential parking congestion and increased stormwater intrusion.
‘That is a neighborhood where there are many now that were there historically,’ she said. ‘This ability to have a new accessory dwelling unit in that neighborhood that does have the alleys seems consistent with the character of that neighborhood.’
While just 3,495 NT-3 parcels would qualify for ADUs, that number jumps to 35,506 in areas zoned as neighborhood suburban (NS). NS neighborhoods comprise wide swaths of the north, south, and west sides of St. Pete. Holiday Park recently expressed the same concerns as Old Northeast, with the additional worry that ADUs would change the neighborhood’s character…
The committee approved several amendments to the city’s ADU regulations while disregarding several others in a split vote. There was a heavy debate on specific details and hesitation for the universal language in Gabbard’s motion to move the proposal forward…”
— Mark Parker, St Pete Catalyst