FREEPORT – In an attempt to bring additional affordable housing to the Freeport Village district, the Freeport Town Council has approved an amendment to the zoning ordinance to allow smaller lot sizes.

The amendment, unanimously approved at the council’s Jan. 22 meeting, will allow landowners in the Village 1 and Village Commercial 2 and 3 districts who have a lot of at least 25,000 square feet to create a 5,000-square-foot housing lot. The minimum lot size in these districts had been 20,000 square feet.

“This is a cutting-edge initiative,” Vice Chairwoman Kristina Egan said. “I support it completely.”

Under the amendment, the house and garage size would be limited, only one small lot would be allowed per parcel, setback requirements must be met and the small lots must be connected to the public water and sewer system.

In prior comments concerning the amendment, Freeport Town Planner Donna Larson said the town’s comprehensive plan looks to create additional affordable housing in town, and in an effort to attract smaller homes, she proposed allowing smaller house lots in the village area. Larson said it would be a way to create another type of housing for the village, and the smaller homes on smaller lots would likely be more affordable than larger homes built on the minimum 20,000-square-foot lots.

“This is not creating subdivisions,” Larson told the council. “The smaller lots would be sprinkled throughout the town and not concentrated in one area.”

Roughly 60 lots would be eligible for the type of development affected by the ordinance, but would still have to meet a road frontage requirement of 50 feet. The ordinance would also prevent the smaller lots from existing too far from the primary lot, and be limited to single-family houses.

The ordinance would support and encourage the establishment of affordable housing for retail workers in the village, many of whom are priced out by the cost of living in the village.

“We can’t create more land, but we can create more opportunities,” Larson said in comments after the meeting. “What’s good is that it won’t change the character of the village, as there are not enough places that are applicable.”

The Village 1 district abuts the Village Commercial Districts on the north, west and east sides. The Village Commercial 2 district is in the area of Mallet Drive and includes a small portion on Main Street. The Village Commercial 3 district is in the area of Independence Drive.

In other business, after a lengthy discussion, councilors decided to table a vote concerning potential changes to the parking requirements for businesses in the village section of town.

The parking ordinance change, one of five proposed amendments, would require all businesses to pay for parking, a point of contention for many longtime business owners who have been protected under a grandfathered exemption.

“The issue is really about old businesses versus new businesses,” Egan said. “While the cost of the parking requirement is not the sole reason for a high rate of business turnover, it is an issue, particularly with small businesses.”

Dropping a grandfathered exemption would allow the town to change the parking requirements to eliminate businesses with less than 1,000 square feet from having to supply any parking spaces.

“It’s a complex issue whether or not to keep grandfathering older businesses,” Councilor Andrew Wellen said. “New businesses carry a heavier burden, so is it really fair to them?”

Other councilors expressed concern about older businesses that have not included the cost of parking into their year-to-year business model.

After tabling the issue, the council asked the Traffic Parking Committee to review the ordinance and present its findings to the council in March.