KINGFIELD — The Planning Board provided an update to selectmen Monday on incorporating a new state law into the town zoning ordinance.

The new law, LD 2003, is aimed at increasing housing opportunities and addressing housing affordability issues by examining zoning and land use restrictions. It was passed by Legislature, signed by the governor in April 2022 and went into effect July 27, 2022.

Richard Hawkes and Susan Davis of the Planning Board, along with Town Manager Leanna Targett, sought feedback on setting a minimum stay requirement for short-term rentals, suggesting either 60 days or six months.

The Select Board showed support for an upfront fee structure based on property size.

“The Planning Board was tasked to incorporate LD 2003 into our ordinances,” Hawkes said. “We chose a path of putting those requirements to our current zoning ordinance, similar to what Carrabassett Valley has done or is doing, They are a couple of months ahead of us on this one. It does mainly three things: it increases residential density, and residential density is lots in a designated growth area, identified by our comprehensive plan. You can have up to four dwelling units.”

LD 2003 mandates that municipalities allow at least one accessory dwelling unit on lots with existing single-family homes, with a maximum size of 1,200 square feet. Kingfield’s proposed ordinance follows this guideline but remains flexible to local feedback, Hawkes said.

“We got a ‘cheat sheet’ of what language we should put in our ordinance,” Hawkes said. “That is what we did. That is what Carrabassett Valley did. We tweaked it a little bit. The words the state gives us say at least 190 square feet in size. It leaves it up to the towns and municipalities what the maximum lot size is. We put in 1,200 square feet based on feedback and Carrabassett Valley.”

Short-term rental regulations were also discussed. The board expressed concern about enforcement and the potential impact on local housing, particularly for Sugarloaf employees who often need short-term rentals.

Davis pointed out that 45% of Kingfield’s housing is owned by nonresidents, significantly affecting the community. “That is a very serious problem for Kingfield,” she said. “That impacts schools, for example.”

Hawkes asked the board to consider all of this and provide feedback. “I would like to tweak our draft with your input,” he said. “Getting feedback is significant.”

Davis said the Planning Board hasn’t come to a decision on the short-term rental stay limits.

Targett noted it looks like they all nodding in agreement with Hawkes. “The only thing everyone was kind of stumped on was 60 days or 6 months,” she said.

The Planning Board plans to gather more feedback at an informational meeting scheduled for July 9 at 6 p.m.

In other business, Wade Browne was reelected as Select Board chairman and Morgan Dunham was elected vice chairman.