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Planner warns state housing law could change how Arundel treats residential uses in commercial zones
Summary
Town planner Natasha Kippur told the Planning Board that recent state legislation aims to increase housing density and that pending rulemaking (LD 997) may alter how the town's BI district treats accessory residential uses; the board agreed code redlines are needed before major changes.
At the Aug. 4 Arundel Planning Board meeting, town planner Natasha Kippur told board members that recent state-level bills are intended "to increase housing density throughout the state" and that portions of those rules are already in state statute. Kippur advised the board the town has some time before local ordinances must be updated but that rulemaking on items affecting industrial and commercial areas — referenced as LD 997 in staff comments — remains unsettled and could influence whether BI districts allow residential uses in certain configurations.
Kippur urged caution: while an ADU is currently permitted in Arundel's BI district, local subordinate/accessory language may be superseded or clarified by state rulemaking. Board members agreed it would be prudent to prepare redlined ordinance language that reconciles conflicting provisions and to hold a working session in September so the town can adopt changes in concert rather than iteratively. Kippur said staff and an outside consultant (NorthStar) will prepare redlines and track the state rulemaking so the board can make consistent findings on future applications.
