The Planning Commission on Wednesday authorized staff to begin drafting a text amendment to the Town’s Land Development Code to implement House Bill 27‑21, the 2024 state law that expands where duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and townhomes may be built.

Planning Planner Ashley McDonald told the commission the amendment will revise multiple LDC sections — base zoning district and use regulations, overlay district regulations, and additional use and site regulations — to put the town’s standards in conformity with HB 27‑21, adopted in February 2024. “If the town does not adopt regulations allowing middle housing in these scenarios, it will be allowed on all lots zoned for single‑family without limitation,” McDonald said.

Why it matters: HB 27‑21 creates situations where municipalities must allow middle‑housing types on lots zoned single‑family inside defined areas — McDonald said the town’s Central Business District (identified last year as the Heritage District) and lots within a one‑mile radius — and on 20% of any new residential project that exceeds 10 contiguous acres. The statute also lists items municipalities may not impose, McDonald said: “That includes restricting middle housing types to less than two floors; [or] requiring owner occupancy…or requiring structures to comply with commercial building code or contain a fire sprinkler.”

What commissioners and the public said: Commissioners asked for clarifications on how the town will work with the building department and legal counsel to interpret aspects of the law — for example whether sprinkler requirements for other structures could be affected. Vice Chair Fay said parking requirements raised concerns for him, noting some neighborhood parking standards are already tight, and asked how the town should respond. “I don’t know that I would want to just stick a parking space on every one of these things,” Fay said, while adding he supports moving forward to comply with state law.

Resident input at the initiation step focused on process and transparency. Dorley Smachetta Liddell, who said she owns property in the Heritage District, told commissioners she could not review a draft because none was available and asked that the town provide documents before study‑session review: “This is a citizen review. It’s a time for the citizens to know what is going on,” she said.

Next steps: McDonald said staff will prepare a draft ordinance, return to the Planning Commission for a study session to receive additional feedback, then process the item through a public hearing and to Town Council for a final decision before the statutory deadline (staff noted the town must adopt regulations by Jan. 1, 2026). The Planning Commission’s vote tonight authorized staff to initiate the citizen‑review process and start drafting the amendment.

Ending note: Commissioners emphasized the town will need legal review to interpret the bill’s constraints and asked staff to coordinate with the building department on code implications before returning with a draft.