09/12/2006: "ADUs Questions Still Remain"

Last Friday the Growth Management Board (GMB) ruled for the County Council (CC) when it found the County is no longer non-compliant when it comes to where, and how many, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), or "Guest Houses" can be permitted in San Juan County. Previous story & copy of OrderOnly problem is, there is a raft of legal questions still floating around that either the Courts or the GMA have yet to give guidance to, and there are folks on both sides that are arguing about where the high ground is.

Former SJC Planning Commissioner Jim Nelson states in a Letter to the Editor that the lifting of invalidity by the GMB has left a number of questions unanswered, such as : Can a property owner of rural or resource land have a detached guesthouse and a main house, if they own less than 10 acres? Peg Manning, an attorney and land owner on Orcas stated that "The Board somehow ruled that the new ordinance was enough to lift invalidity but reserved the question of whether it was compliant itself. "

Former County Commissioner John Evans has a submitted a Guest Editorial on the subject, and what it can mean to the San Juan County in terms of both intended. and unintended. Consequences.