Renter urges Bel Air to require windows in bedrooms for proposed downtown apartments

At the Nov. 17 Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners meeting, resident Janelle Minnie said she reviewed floor plans for a proposed downtown apartment project and found that four of six layouts include a bedroom without an exterior window. Minnie, who identified herself as a local renter, asked the board to reconsider whether interior bedrooms should be allowed and urged the town to require bedroom windows in future building codes.

"I saw that four out of the six layouts have a bedroom with no exterior window," Minnie told the board. She described how living in a windowless bedroom can be disorienting and suggested the plans may rely on technical exceptions in the International Building Code to be legal.

In response, Commissioner Chismar said she was not aware that bedrooms could be built without exterior windows and offered to look into the question, including whether the layouts meet emergency‑egress requirements. She asked the commenter to leave contact information so staff could follow up.

Town staff did not announce a formal review or halt to the project at the meeting. The comment was taken during the board’s public‑comment period; commissioners said they would seek clarification from staff on applicable building‑code standards and report back.

Next steps: a commissioner offered to follow up with the resident and town staff to determine whether the proposed floor plans comply with the International Building Code and local requirements and to return to the board with findings.