DURHAM — Voters will decide in April between two options for accessory buildings allowed under a new state housing law passed by the 130th Maine State Legislature.

The law, which becomes effective July 1, allows two accessory dwellings, attached or detached, per single-family home. The state’s old standards allowed just one attached accessory unit per single-family home.

Planning Board Chairman John Talbot said Tuesday that a public survey on three options resulted in two getting the public’s support. They will be presented to voters in April.

The first favored option, less restrictive and more in line with the town’s 2018 comprehensive plan, reduces a duplex’s minimum acreage to two acres and allows an apartment addition. It also allows single-family units to implement two accessory units. The second favored option, more restrictive, would require four acres for duplexes and for single-family units adding a second detached single-family unit and third attached unit.

The remaining option, scrapped due to a lack of support in the survey’s results, allowed a stand-alone single-family home on two acres to add a home and accessory unit, Talbot said.

Durham’s requirements follow the state’s old standards with a catch: Homes can have an attached accessory unit either to the main building or to an outbuilding, but it cannot be more than 50% of the square footage it’s attached to. It also restricts duplexes to a minimum of 2.5 acres and for homes, a minimum of two acres.

Voters will revisit resource protection changes which were rejected, in part, in 2022. Last year’s initiative would have removed protections putting off adding some until April 2023. Both sets of changes will instead go to a vote simultaneously in April.

New protections would include consistency with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s 100-year floodplain maps, land within mandatory shoreland zoning, wetlands of 10 acres or more, land within 100 feet of large streams, land within 250 feet of waterfowl habitats and land with six or more natural resources as defined by the state.

The only areas to be removed from protections are ones that were instituted on bad data, Talbot said. “It’s really just taking out some areas that really shouldn’t have those protections and adding some that should be protected according to the comprehensive plan.”

The third issue before voters in April, if passed, requires a town vote to make private roads public. Talbot said private road construction can go ahead with proper Planning Board approval.

All initiatives will get public hearings in March, Talbot said.

In other news, Select Board Chairman Kevin Nadeau said neither he nor Selectman Todd Beaulieu will run for reelection in April.

In addition to the two open seats, a three-year seat is to be filled on the Regional School Unit 5 board of directors and a one-year and three, three-year terms are to be filled on the Budget Committee.

Those wishing to run for public office must file nomination papers by Jan. 30.

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