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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — APRIL 13, 2026 6 <br />Councilmember Monson said she spent time on the model local ADU ordinance from AARP. She <br />thinks it outlines that it doesn't have to be overwhelming. A lot of the restrictions are already <br />defined for existing residents. The reasoning behind their recommendations is sound. She supports <br />a property owner's right to do what they need to do for their family. If we say they can't be rented, <br />we may not see very many. <br />Councilmember Weber said he spent time looking at the table of surrounding cities. Wastewater <br />is charged based on water usage. He asked if Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen if <br />he thinks an ADU would have its own meter, billing would go through the primary property. <br />Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said we would want to meter the water. He <br />would hesitate to tie into the trunk main more than we need to for both water and sewer. He'd have <br />to research it more to determine the best solution. He thinks it may be easier to have just one meter <br />for billing purposes. <br />Community Development Director Reilly said it has become more common for there to be <br />separate meters for all units in rental properties, regardless of if there are 50 units or 2. <br />Councilmember Weber said another concern is breakers. We wouldn't want a main breaker in the <br />principal structure so the ADU wouldn't have access to it. <br />Community Development Director Reilly said electricity would commonly be its own breaker <br />for each residence. <br />Councilmember Weber said it is an accessory unit. He presumes energy providers will prefer to <br />go through the main unit. He thinks, of the cities on the table, Hopkins has the best layout. He is <br />curious why some of the cities didn't include internal ADUs. He thinks that would be the most <br />common. <br />Community Development Director Reilly said a lot of those communities consider an attached <br />and internal to be the same. They function the same so they didn't create different rules for them. <br />Councilmember Weber wants to set guidelines but doesn't want there to be too much oversight. <br />Prohibiting short-term rentals is important and more conversation is needed on additional parking. <br />He thinks the occupants of the ADU are less likely to have their own transportation. <br />Councilmember Rousseau said there are several things on the list that are musts for her. No short- <br />term rentals, limiting it to one ADU and design standards that complement the principal structure. <br />She would like to see this move forward. She asked what Staff need tonight to get us to the next <br />stage of discussion. <br />Community Development Director Reilly he said if each Councilmember could share their <br />desired inclusions and what items are a definite no, it will be helpful to bring a more fleshed out <br />draft ordinance, possibly in May. <br />Councilmember Holden said the surrounding communities aren't in the table that was provided <br />with the agenda packet. She talked to Roseville. They completed a 2-year study before passing their <br />ADU ordinance. She thinks rental licensing is an important component to this. She thinks 10% of <br />the city is rental property. This feels like step two in the rental licensing conversation, but we <br />