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Manila board backs taller buildings, clarified garage and utility rules in draft ordinance updates
Summary
On April 6, 2026, Manila’s joint Planning & Zoning board and Town Council reviewed a draft ordinance book proposing a rise in maximum building heights from 25 to 30 feet, separate rules for detached garages (including a 16-foot cap under state exceptions), prohibition of 'fast-track' utility hookups, fence-height adjustments, and revised residential density standards.
Manila’s Planning & Zoning board and Town Council reviewed a package of proposed zoning changes at a joint work session on April 6, 2026, that would raise building heights, redefine garage rules and tighten utility-connection standards.
The board recommended increasing the maximum building height from 25 feet to 30 feet across applicable zones — Residential-Rural, Residential-Low and Residential-Medium — and clarified that height would be measured “from the average grade to the highest point of the structure” for consistency. Members said the change is intended to provide more design flexibility in new construction and renovations.
Members agreed to separate detached-garage rules from attached-garage rules to reduce confusion. The draft calls for a new “Detached Garages” subsection that would bar detached garages between the primary dwelling and the front property line except under unspecified state exceptions; where those exceptions apply the draft limits detached-garage height to 16 feet and requires the garage not exceed the height of the primary structure. The board also proposed a definition of “breezeway” as “a roof, open sided outdoor passageway/hallway that connects two buildings commonly or two halves of a building,” and stated that breezeways would not be allowed in the specified locations.
On utilities, the board proposed adding a prohibition on so-called “fast tracks” to Section 511 (Utility Services). The draft language would define a fast track as a circumstance in which a property obtains utilities (water, sewer, power) without proceeding to build and would prohibit utility hookups prior to the town receiving required permitting documentation.
The board identified a conflict between Sections 703 and 707(1) governing nonconforming uses and agreed to consolidate repair-and-alteration language. The proposal moves “interior remodeling and exterior restoration/renewal” language from 707 into 703 so that owners of nonconforming homes may repair, structurally alter, or add onto existing structures provided additions comply with current setbacks and the new work conforms to the ordinance.
Fencing rules were revisited: members proposed raising the maximum front-yard fence height from 3 feet to 4 feet and incorporating language from Section 409 (Clear View of Intersections) into Sections 903(E), 1003(4) and 1102(4) so corner-lot sightline restrictions and fence standards are consistent.
The board also discussed residential density revisions. To simplify cross-references the group will move language from Article 5, Section 503 into the garage regulations. For Residential-Medium the draft would allow smaller lots: newly created legal parcels would have a minimum area of 6,500 square feet. The transcript records the board discussing a change in setback figures, noting a change “from 9,000 square feet to 8,000 square feet”; the board indicated it will clarify the intended units and measurements in the ordinance text (the meeting record uses square-foot language for setbacks, which typically are linear measurements and thus will be clarified in drafting).
Members also discussed adding a Residential-High Density category intended to better fit the older section of Manila and reduce the incidence of nonconforming lots, but no final decision was recorded at the session.
For the Commercial-General district, the board asked staff to verify state requirements for the number of required accessible (handicapped) parking spaces per commercial lot before finalizing parking standards.
The session concluded with scheduling: the board set the next joint work session with Town Council for April 29, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Dennis Andelin, chairman, called the meeting to close; Brian Nelson moved to adjourn, Randall Despain seconded, and the meeting adjourned at 8:58 p.m.
What happens next: the items discussed are draft ordinance edits and require redrafting of ordinance text and subsequent formal adoption steps; the board flagged several points for staff clarification (state exceptions, parking/ADA requirements, and numeric units for setbacks) before presenting a final ordinance for formal readings.
