Marion County commissioners approve spacing and height limits for multifamily near single‑family homes

Marion County commissioners voted unanimously March 25 to amend the county Land Development Code for section 4.2.11 to set spacing and relative height limits when multifamily buildings are adjacent to single‑family homes.

The change, approved after the second of two public hearings, requires a 100‑foot buffer and limits multifamily buildings within that buffer to no greater than twice the height — measured in stories — of adjacent single‑family structures, with a minimum multifamily height set at two stories.

Kenway Rocker of Growth Services presented the measure, telling the board, “This is the second of 2 public hearings for section 4.2.11, multiple family, multiple family dwelling dwellings. . . . staff presented the proposed, spacing when it's multiple family up against single family homes of 100 feet, and within that 100 feet, the multifamily cannot be anything more than twice the height of what's adjacent or cannot be higher than what's allowed if the land is vacant.” The proposal moved from an earlier numeric‑foot limit to a measure tied to number of stories to reduce ambiguity about building height.

David Tillman, chairman of the Land Development Regulation Committee, told the board the change tracks the committee’s intent. “The primary change that y'all have made here is at 30 feet and going to the 2 stories. I think that's very similar to what we were trying to accomplish,” Tillman said, adding the revised language “follows suit” with previous committee work.

Commissioner Stone made the motion to adopt the amendment to section 4.2.11 (R‑3 multiple family dwelling classification); Commissioner Curry seconded. With all commissioners present voting in favor, the motion passed unanimously.

No members of the public addressed this specific item during the hearing. After the vote the board closed that portion of the agenda and moved on to a separate public hearing on definitions in Article 1, Division 2 of the Land Development Code.

The ordinance change formalizes the 100‑foot spacing and story‑height approach in the county code; county staff said the change was intended to provide clearer, measurable standards for developers and neighbors when multifamily housing is sited next to single‑family neighborhoods.