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LC committee explores housing pathways: MPA zoning, tiny homes, multigenerational options and conservation easements
Summary
Committee members discussed a range of housing options for the LC area — including village‑scale housing, tiny homes, multigenerational housing on farms, and conservation‑easement strategies — and asked staff for a presentation on MPA and village commercial zoning.
Committee members spent significant time discussing options for expanding housing in the LC area while preserving local character, including using MPA (village/mixed‑purpose/agriculture) zoning, small village developments, tiny homes, and conservation easements to enable multigenerational housing.
Janet (LC Citizen Advisory Committee member) said landowners often want avenues to keep family housing on farmland. Committee members described interest in housing that supports agricultural labor and family succession: "There needs to be housing for the family on the farm . . . so they could, if there's a housing crisis, and there's also a labor crisis," one member said.
Petra (community development staff, interim) told the committee there are existing pathways in county code that can support different housing approaches but that local regulations and implementation details matter. She offered to bring targeted presentations and resources, including a matrix of permitted and conditional uses for relevant zones, and recommended inviting the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) to explain village commercial options at a future meeting.
Committee members also discussed conservation easements and nonprofit partners (for example, organizations that assist with family forest or farm easements) as a tool to keep multi‑parceled properties intact while allowing limited housing. One participant suggested inviting a nonprofit that specializes in conservation easements to present practical options.
The committee agreed to request a January presentation covering MPA permitted uses and conditional uses, and to compile a list of housing pathways the group wants explored so staff can prepare more targeted materials.
