The Dare County Board of Commissioners has authorized exploration of additional steps for developing year-round housing in unincorporated areas of the county.

County planning director Donna Creef proposed four additional regulatory moves to increase the likelihood of development. Three of the four were advanced from a preliminary discussion on April 15.

On Monday, May 13, the Dare County Planning Board will take up these new proposed zoning amendments:

– Add cluster homes. Cluster homes are multiple single-family homes on one parcel. Two developments will be built on Hatteras Island. These homes are not to exceed 1,200 square feet of heated, conditioned space. The new proposal is to extend cluster homes to the following zones: NH (natural historic), RS-1 (residential, single family), R-1 (low density residential), SNC (Skyco neighborhood commercial), WR-1 (waterfront residential), VR (Wanchese village residential), ELR (East Lake residential), and ELNH (East Lake natural historic) districts.

– Create an overlay district to address education housing. For this overlay district, standards would be created for single- and multi-family housing. A need for housing has been identified by Coastal Studies Institute, Dare County Board of Education and College of The Albemarle. An airport overlay district already exists.

– Look at minimum lot sizes. The current minimum lot sizes of 15,000 square feet with central water and 20,000 square feet without water have been in place since 1982. Most of unincorporated Dare County has central water. For a 15,000 square foot lot, 2.9 units can be built per acre; for a 12,500 square foot lot, 3.5 units per acre; 10,000 square foot lot, 4.3 units per acre.

One proposal would have expanded permission for accessory dwelling units to all zones, but this one was dropped.

The county’s planning board meets at 6 p.m., in the Dare County Commissioners meeting room at 954 Marshall C. Collins Dr. in Manteo.

READ ABOUT MORE NEWS AND EVENTS HERE.