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After many months of work, Kill Devil Hills commissioners approved a zoning amendment at their December 9 meeting, adding a definition for large single-family dwellings and including distinct requirements for these homes.

Large single-family dwellings – which they have defined as over 6,000 square feet – will be required to have an access aisle and will limit stacked parking. Most significantly, large single-family homes will now apply a floor area ratio (FAR) to limit square footage.

Commissioners voted to set FAR at a max of 0.25, or 0.30 if stacked parking is capped at four vehicles. This is a significant change for the town, and one that commissioners and residents hope will discourage additional massive beachfront “event” homes.

Mayor Pro Tem Ivy Ingram made a motion to approve the amendment because, she said, the amendment is reasonable and in the public interest because it promotes safety and appropriately regulates density, bulk and parking for large family dwellings.

Commissioners also approved a zoning amendment related to parking space sizes in town. In early 2024, the General Assembly passed House Bill 600 which restricted local governments from requiring regular parking spaces to be larger than 9×20 feet (excluding handicapped or parallel spots).

However, town planning staff feel that a 10×20 space is safer and more comfortable, particularly for larger vehicles like pickup trucks. So, while the town cannot require 10×20 parking spaces, they can incentivize them for builders.

To accomplish this, the new town ordinance states that if a developer uses 9×20-sized spaces, they must add 20% more parking spaces than if they use 10×20-sized spaces.

“We’re not saying you can’t use 9×20 but we’re recommending that they need to provide more spaces because we do not feel that people will park in every single space at 9-foot by 20 because you won’t be able to get out of your vehicle,” said assistant planning director Cameron Ray.

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