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193 Ms. Waters expressed concern with allowing accessory apartments by special permit and indicate~d, her preference for allowing them by right. Mr. Toscano stated that a ceiling could be set for allowing accessory apartments by right and then allowing them by special permit if the space was below that ceiling. Mr. Vandever questioned whether the number of persons living in an accessory apartment could be restricted rather than restricting the space to 400 square feet. The majority of council indiCated their suppOrt for allowing accessory apartments by right with the size limits indicated by Ms. Waters, and the home ownership clause. Mr. Vandever stated that he felt it would be more consistent to also apply the ownership provision to the larger unitwhich would-allow a duplex. Mr. Gouldman recommended that the severability clause be included at the end of the R-lA text so that if challenged in court, only that section, would be affected. It was agreed that a joint public hearing would be held with the Planning Commission on May 6th. Ms. Waters recommended the following provisions to be included in the public hearing notice: reinstitute the B-5 zone along West Main Street; return the height limit to 70' as proposed in the Urban Design Plan.; and a more flexible provision to have a 15' setback which would not allow cars to be parked, with a 25' setback on the downtown mall, Mr. Gouldman recommended removing cats under the definition of kennel since he was not aware of any major problems with cats. On motion by Mr. Vandever, seconded by Ms. Waters, Council unanimously approved resolution exhibit B, setting a public hearing date and indicating proposed amendments to the ordinance. PUBLIC There were no matters by the public. OTHER BUSINESS Mr. Toscano brought up the issue of purchasing the houses on Long Street from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to use for low cost transitional housing as a means of providing opportunities for future home ownership. Mr. Chapman stated that VDOT is interested in disposing of the houses as soon as possible and noted that others in the private sector have expressed an interest in purchasing them. Ms. Waters stated that she felt the issue was similar to the disposal of the property previously occupied by the Shelter for Help in Emergencies which she felt involved major policy decisions for Council. Mr. Hendrix noted that the neighborhood has not been consulted about the future use of the houses and added that the houses will be very close to the retaining wall along Long Street once the street has been widened. It was agreed that the matter would be discussed at the