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Did the mayor of Troutdale build an illegal building on his property? Did he use his influence to get that building approved?

We may soon find out. Troutdale Mayor Jim Kight because of concerns about a new building he added to his property.

The $15,000 expenditure on the investigation still needs to be approved by Troutdale City Council, but the council authorized staff to start the process last week. According to , the investigation would look at whether Kight used his position as mayor to influence how a building he calls “accessory office space” on his property was permitted and approved. It’s a problem that was first raised this May, when the city council it’s had with Kight; after which he .

The issue, according to the Outlook, is that the building may or may not fit a classification as a “residential” building. Residential buildings have specific requirements and charges involved, which Kight didn’t have to fit because he claimed the building was not residential. The structure, which he hired a contractor to build, includes kitchen space, which may mean it meets the classification of a “dwelling” unit. (I’ve given Mayor Kight a call and will update this post if I hear back from him.)

Accessory dwelling units are a big trend in construction these days: the structures were a requirement in the annual Street of Dreams showplace this year… but they are also quite complicated. Our reporter Lindsey O’Brien reported on some of the issues that come up with ADU’s, specifically under Portland’s rules:

The idea seems simple enough, but the practice of actually getting an ADU built, financed and appraised is very complicated at this point,鈥� said Taylor Watkins, owner and principal appraiser of Watkins & Associates, a Portland-based residential appraisal firm. (Read the whole story here.)

And even earlier this year, reporter Nick Bjork reported on the costs and financing issues 鈥� including a recently-eliminated system development fee 鈥� that provide more hurdles when building ADUs.

Oh, the murky regulations that come with building on your own property! What happened to the days when you could just build a treehouse and be left alone?