Feb. 11—Some Chandler residents are learning that there is a lot of truth to the saying government moves very slowly, even on the local level.
That seems to have been the case for single-family homeowners besieging city planners with questions about the effective date for pending changes affecting how they use their property.
"We receive a lot of phone calls in our office through our planner-of-the-day line," said Lauren Schumann, the senior planner for the city. "Residents wanting to exceed the size of their ramada, or build an (accessory dwelling unit) or home occupations. Everybody keeps wondering what that date is."
The good news is that March 22 appears to be the likely date for the changes to take effect.
Starting then, Chandler residents will likely be able to build bigger ramadas on their properties, or add a casita to their backyards that includes a kitchen — or if they have a home business, have an employee and a customer visit. And buildings could be made out of shipping containers
Those are just some of the changes in one of the largest revisions ever made to the Chandler City Code after Council approved 30 revisions on Feb. 8.
Council will have to vote again on Feb. 22 to adopt the changes, and then there will be a 30-day delay before the new codes go into effect.
It was about a year ago that city staff began working on updating the city code.
Since then, the proposals have been reviewed by Council in two different work sessions, as well as by council subcommittees. The city's Planning & Zoning Commission weighed in as well.
City staff have been spending recent months presenting the proposals to interested parties, including developers and multi-housing lobbyists, seeking their input before putting the finishing touches on the package that Council approved.
It will be welcome news to many people who bought a large shade structure for their yards, only to learn the city has a limit of 150 square feet. Many of the structures sold at major retailers easily exceed that.
Residents who have aging parents or young adults who are looking for affordable housing might have a new option. Homeowners will be able to build a casita on their property that includes a kitchen so they can live independently.
Homeowners will not, however, be able to use them as short-term rentals — unless the state Legislature overrides that.
Other residents who have home businesses have been banned from having any customers or employees come to their homes also are getting relief. With the change, they can have one employee and one customer at their home during business hours.