Planning commission forwards middle-housing code update, withhold recommendation on 10% affordability rule

The Newcastle Planning Commission voted May 28 to forward a draft middle-housing ordinance to the City Council after months of review, but the commission explicitly declined to recommend a proposed affordable-housing requirement and instead sent that question to the council.

Associate Planner Tyler Coyle presented the draft code and the changes required by recent state laws, and asked commissioners for clear direction by the end of the meeting. “Staff is hoping that commission could take action, at the end of this meeting,” Coyle said, listing setback options for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and potential affordable-housing incentives as the key choices.

The commission debated several topics the staff highlighted: setback options for ADUs (a staff preference for a 5-foot rear setback versus a 10-foot or the current 20-foot standard), optional townhouse density bonuses along specific arterial streets, a proposed “10%” affordable-housing policy tied to new developments, and procedural changes required by state middle-housing and ADU legislation.

Coyle summarized state changes by name as they appeared in staff materials, saying the package includes statutes that require cities of Newcastle’s size to allow duplexes and limit how cities can regulate middle housing, to adopt a…