Waynesboro City Council, in its first meeting of 2025, voted 5-0 on Monday night to approve an ordinance that will allow cottage court housing throughout the city with some conditions.
The discussion around cottage court housing dates back to last summer as city planning staff looked for opportunities to create a more affordable housing option in the city.
Preliminary data from a regional housing study showed that there is a need for smaller one- to two-bedroom units in Waynesboro. The study found that one- to two-person households make up 65 percent of all households in the city, but housing units with three or more bedrooms make up 70 percent of the region’s housing options.
Amendments were required to the city’s zoning ordinance to update the code to allow for cottage court housing with a conditional-use permit. Cottage court housing is a grouping of small houses arranged around a common area designed to promote a sense of community. The homes could be detached, attached or townhouses.
In a presentation Monday night to Council, Waynesboro Director of Community Development Leslie Tate said she believed there had been some confusion related to the ordinance and its application to all districts in the city.
Anyone wishing to pursue this type of housing would have a thorough review of their plan to ensure it fits into the character of existing neighborhoods, she said, and there would be safeguards in place to prevent developers from buying up parcels and then charging exorbitant rent.
“I want to clarify that it is only allowing for someone to apply for a conditional-use permit in any of the zoning districts, but in no way would the adoption of this ordinance create any by-right entitlements,” Tate said.
“It would just allow a developer or individual to come forward with an application, and that application would be reviewed by your staff. It would be reviewed at a public hearing by your Planning Commission and then ultimately reviewed by Council, approved or denied. And if approved, you can also set any range of related conditions to that specific permit. So when we say it can be permitted in all districts, it’s only after that rigorous process that would come before you.”
Waynesboro Mayor Kenny Lee told AFP Tuesday that he believes time will tell if this decision will lead to lower prices for home ownership in the River City, but he is hopeful.
“We’ll really be able to understand it when we have that first request for a CUP (conditional-use permit) to do that type of development,” he said. “We won’t know anything until that first one comes through the door.
“It’s promising. It gives us that potential to address affordability, and I think it gives more options.”
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Crystal Graham
