Thinking about a granny flat in the backyard? Tonight’s worth watching.

The city’s Planning Commission takes up new rules for accessory dwelling units at 6 p.m. at City Hall (23920 Valencia Blvd., first floor). The short version: state law already forces the city to approve smaller “Class 1” ADUs with almost no local say. Tonight’s discussion is about “Class 2” - the bigger ones, up to 1,000 square feet - where the city actually gets to set some rules.

On the table: minimum setbacks from the street, lot-coverage limits, parking requirements (none if you’re within half a mile of a transit center), a design that matches the main house, and one 24-inch box tree in the setback if the unit faces the street - roughly $500 to $750, per the staff report.

The backdrop: applications keep climbing. The city got 61 ADU applications in 2021, 95 in 2024, and 87 so far this year. City Council members have made no secret they don’t love Sacramento telling them what they can approve - but tonight is about the slice the city does control.

Whatever the commission recommends still needs City Council approval before it becomes law.

If a backyard unit is in your five-year plan, this is the meeting where the rulebook gets written.