The Wayland City Planning Commission may have a public hearing in April or May on a proposal to permit accessory dwelling units for as many as 130 local residences.

The impetus for the discussion was a request from local citizen Mike Salisbury, who asked about the possibility of renovating a garage on site to accommodate an upstairs apartment for his mother. Salisbury since then has begun exploring a different option, building an attachment onto the house.

“We’re going to make it a city issue, not just a Mike Salisbury issue,” City Manager Josh Eggleston said.

Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs, are gaining popularity in some areas because it provides places for older Americans to live on the same properties owned by their children.

Eggleston said Traverse City adopted an ordinance for ADUs, but it was later repealed because of the transitional nature of so many residences in that city. The Village of Paw Paw also looked into crafting such an ordinance, but eventually decided against proceeding any further.

“It boils down to what it’s going to look like in 10 to 20 years,” the city manager said.

Commissioner Sam Dykstra said an ADU, “Would squeeze that lot.”

Heather Mitchell of Professional Code Inspections, in response to a question, said such a dwelling would be taxed as a second residence on the property, meaning a tax increase.

The Planning Commission would rather not meet to further discuss the issue in March because its next scheduled meeting is the same date as the Michigan Presidential Primary, so it’s likely there will be further discussion in April with a public hearing in May.