Title
Resolution Enacting Accessory Dwelling Unit Design Standards for Historic Properties (M24-002)
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FileID
File ID: 2026-00516
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Location
Location: Citywide
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Adopt a Resolution: 1) determining that the adoption of the Accessory Dwelling Unit Design Standards for Historic Properties is exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15308; and 2) adopting the Accessory Dwelling Unit Design Standards for Historic Properties.
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Contact
Contact: Sean de Courcy, Preservation Director, (916) 808-2796, sdecourcy@cityofsacramento.org, Community Development Department
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Presenter
Presenter: None
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Background
3-Resolution
4-Exhibit A - Accessory Dwelling Unit Design Standards for Historic Properties
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Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue/Detail: Staff is requesting that the City Council adopt a resolution adopting objective design standards for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) located on parcels with designated historic landmarks or within historic districts (Attachment 3).
Under various state laws-including Government Code sections 66314 and 66317-and Sacramento City Code section 17.228.105, the City must review ADU applications ministerially using only objective design standards. While the City currently applies a set of general objective standards to all ADUs, these standards do not adequately address the unique context of designated historic resources.
The proposed standards were developed in response to this gap and are intended to ensure that ADUs involving historic properties are designed in a manner that is compatible with the surrounding historic context, while still complying with state mandates for streamlined, ministerial review. The standards reflect the goals of the 2040 General Plan, including Policy HCR-1.3, which directs the City to ensure that infill development complements the character and scale of existing historic environments.
Staff has conducted background research, completed public outreach, and incorporated input from preservation and design professionals in drafting the standards. A summary of this process is included in Attachment 2.
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PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: The following Sacramento 2040 General Plan goals and policies support the development of objective design standards for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in historic districts and on landmark parcels:
• Policy LUP-1.1 - Compact Urban Footprint
The City shall promote a land- and resource-efficient development pattern to support infill housing, reduce vehicle miles traveled, and improve air quality. Objective standards for ADUs help facilitate small-scale infill while maintaining neighborhood character.
• Policy LUP-4.8 - Buildings that Engage the Street
Buildings shall be oriented to actively engage and enhance the public realm. These objective standards ensure that new ADUs in historic districts will be oriented towards the public realm when site conditions allow.
• Policy LUP-8.10- Responsiveness to Context
New infill development shall be designed to respect and complement the character, scale, and development pattern of surrounding neighborhoods, including historic areas. Objective standards ensure consistency with this policy while complying with state housing law.
• Policy HCR-1.3 - Compatibility with Historic Context
The City shall review new development for compatibility with the surrounding historic context, with particular attention to scale, massing, and relationship to historic resources. Objective standards for ADUs provide a tool to achieve this policy in a ministerial framework.
EconomicImpacts
Economic Impacts: Not applicable.
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EnvironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations:
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA): The adoption of objective design standards for ADUs on parcels with designated historic landmarks or within historic districts is exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15308. Section 15308 exempts from review acts that are undertaken to assure the maintenance, restoration, enhancement, or protection of the environment where the regulatory process involves procedures for the protection of the environment. The adoption of historically sensitive objective development standards for ADUs on parcels with designated historic landmarks or within historic districts ensures that future development appropriately complements and enhances the City’s historic resources.
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Sustainability
Sustainability: Not applicable.
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Commission/Committee Action
Commission/Committee Action: On September 17, 2025, the Preservation Commission reviewed the request and passed a unanimous motion recommending the City Council determine that the adoption of the Accessory Dwelling Unit Design Standards for Historic Properties is exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15308; and adopt a resolution enacting the Accessory Dwelling Unit Design Standards for Historic Properties.
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RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: Various changes to state law have necessitated the use of objective standards when reviewing proposals for ADUs. The City’s preservation staff currently utilizes objective standards; however, it has become clear that these standards could use refinement when it comes to ADUs proposed for historic properties.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: Not applicable.
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LocalBusinessEnterprise
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.
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