Owen County planning commission reviews residential UDO standards, clarifies minimum sizes and adds PUD to permitted uses

Members of the Owen County Planning Commission spent the bulk of the meeting reviewing draft residential development standards in the county’s unified development ordinance (UDO), including sign rules, fence and setback standards, minimum dwelling sizes and multifamily access requirements. The commission voted to add Planned Unit Development (PUD) to the UDO’s list of permitted uses.

Planning staff guided the commission through sections addressing signs, fences, setbacks, building heights and required lot sizes. The draft would limit residential signs to a maximum of 32 square feet and prohibit signs that project beyond lot lines or obstruct sight lines. The draft also allows fences, walls and hedges in yard areas consistent with the master plan language.

Commissioners discussed minimum habitable-floor-area thresholds for single-story dwellings. The draft text lists a 650-square-foot minimum for a single-story dwelling, while county paperwork in the office references a 720-square-foot figure. Commissioners asked staff to verify whether the state standard or local code applies and to clarify which figure the county should adopt.

Several commissioners raised the recent uptick in smaller homes and “tiny home” interest and asked that clarity be provided to avoid conversions of sheds or storage units into permanent dwellings. One commissioner said the county has seen many smaller homes and asked the staff to reconcile state guidance with the draft UDO language.

On multifamily development, the draft addresses road access, specifying that entrances on some county gravel roads are acceptable but that access off a major highway is discouraged; commissioners queried why some roads are listed as “preferred” and others “mandatory” and asked staff to clarify the terminology. Commissioners also discussed how multifamily projects are classified and whether some locally called “condominiums” are actually Planned Unit Developments.

After discussion, a commissioner moved to add PUD as item number 9 under permitted uses for multifamily/residential categories. The motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote. The commission instructed staff to update the draft to include PUD language and to return with clarifications on the minimum floor area (650 vs. 720 square feet), definitions of building stories and the road-access wording.

During the UDO discussion a commissioner raised concerns about nearby large infrastructure projects, saying, “I am really concerned… Monrovia… And that ain't that far off our border,” noting potential electricity and water demands from a planned data center and earlier proposals for solar farms near Cloverdale. The commission did not take regulatory action on data centers or solar projects at this meeting but recorded the concern for future consideration in relevant land-use sections.

The commission closed the item with direction to staff to verify state standards, tighten definitions for dwelling types and stories, and return the revised UDO language at a later meeting.