BIDDEFORD — The Biddeford City Council granted final approval to two amendments to its land use regulations on Tuesday.

One allows for the creation of accessory dwelling units in residential zones, other than the Coastal-Residential, or CR, zone, as well as the Limited Residential and Resource Protection zones, which are laid over the CR zone.

Allowing for such units serves several purposes, including serving the needs of older homeowners, smaller households and persons with disabilities.

City officials say accessory dwelling units provide older homeowners with a means of obtaining rental income, companionship, security and services, and to downsize, while allowing them to stay comfortably in their homes.

Such units also reduce the expansion of infrastructure needs and, as a result, land consumption, city officials say.

City Planner Greg Tansley said at the Feb. 21 council meeting that the Planning Board thought it appropriate to leave the CR zone out of the measure because the area, located toward Biddeford Pool and the Atlantic Ocean, is already congested with homes.

“The density is already out there in that area, and this might be overtaxing it,” Tansley said at the time.

The council unanimously approved the measure on Tuesday.

The other land use amendment approved Tuesday related to changes to the Shoreland Zoning ordinance, which was passed by the council in October after months of debate between city officials and those residing in Biddeford Pool.

The amendment states that all non-conforming structures less than 100 feet from the normal high-water line of a water body may not be expanded to a size greater than 1,000 square feet, or 30 percent larger than the footprint that existed on Jan. 1, 1989, whichever is greater.

The ordinance originally specified those regulations for structures less than 100 feet, but greater than 25 feet, from the high-water line.

Tansley said at the Feb. 21 meeting that the state asked the city to clarify the language as it created loopholes for residents living in the Shoreland zone because it “could be interpreted differently.”

— Staff Writer Alan Bennett can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or [email protected].