A new mandate by the Indiana Legislature put housing in Marshall County on the agenda for the Marshall County Plan Commission.
The "housing matters bill" enacted by the legislature requires local governments to hold an open hearing to review the zoning ordinance to discuss the issue of reducing the costs and ensuring an adequate supply of housing in the county.
They want communities thinking about and working toward as many possibilities of affordable and low-cost housing as possible.
County Plan Director Nicholas Witwer went on to highlight parts of the zoning ordinance regarding housing in the various zones — multi-family, single-family, and accessory dwelling units. He said that currently an "accessory dwelling" is not allowable in any zone.
He told the board that he had been in discussions with other officials about allowing those types of structures but said they did not have an idea of what that might look like.
He said his personal feeling was that there could be more done in allowing "tiny homes" in the ordinance, but other than that, he felt that the current zoning ordinance did all it could to allow housing. His opinion was that land and construction costs were the only things slowing housing both items beyond county control.
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