FREEPORT – In an attempt to bring some more affordable housing to the Freeport Village district, the Freeport Planning Board is considering amending the zoning ordinance to allow smaller lot sizes.

The Planning Board is holding a public hearing on Wednesday, Nov. 7, at 6 p.m. at Town Hall, on a proposal to 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 now is 20,000 square feet.

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.

Under the proposed 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.

Freeport Town Planner Donna Larson said the town’s comprehensive plan looks to put more affordable housing in town, and in trying to attract smaller homes, she proposed allowing smaller lots in the village area. She said it would be a way to get another type of housing into 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.

“Then you could truly provide a diversity of housing stock,” she said.

Under current regulations, the only way landowners can divide their lots in the village district is to have at least 40,000 square feet, as both lots must be at least 20,000 square feet after they are divided. The amendment would allow landowners with smaller lots to break off a 5,000-square-foot parcel for development, provided the remaining parcel meets the 20,000-square-foot limit. Larson said in an effort to prevent clusters of housing and to spread the smaller lots throughout the district, landowners would be limited to creating only one smaller lot per plot of land.

“You can only have one lot because you don’t want people creating subdivisions on these and it disperses them (throughout the village),” Larson said.

At the same meeting, the Planning Board will also be holding a public hearing on a proposal to expand the definition of “agricultural farm stand” to give local farm stands more flexibility to operate. The proposed amendment would also amend the definition of farm stand to allow farmers some more flexibility of what they can sell at their stands.

Larson said the amendment grew out of a desire to help out local farm stands by giving them more opportunities to sell things other than produce. It would also make it easier for local growers to open up small stands on their property to sell their goods.