Bath City Council on Wednesday referred to the planning board a proposed Land Use Code amendment that would change the way the city defines a bed and breakfast.

The amendment, proposed by Inn at Bath innkeeper Elizabeth Knowlton, would allow not just an owner, but a live-in manager to occupy the dwelling as their main residence and to oversee all activities and business of the bed and breakfast.

Knowlton told the council she is in the process of trying to sell the Inn at Bath and has had numerous inquiries from people who would purchase the property but have a family member run the business.

“They wouldn’t live on site,” Knowlton said.

Currently, according to the city’s Land Use Code, a bed and breakfast is defined as a dwelling occupied by the owner as their principal place of residence that accommodates paying guests for a limited duration with sleeping and dining facilities; payable on a per-diem basis; having less than 10 rooms and in which some bath, sitting and dining rooms are used in common by all guests

All dining facilities are limited to use by overnight guests of that particular establishment, the Land Use Code states. All of the bed and breakfast activities and the residence of the owner must be in the same building and may be only in one building.

The planning board will begin reviewing the amendment at its next meeting and, if it approves the change, it would go back before the council for final approval in a few months.

Deb Keller, executive director of Bath Housing Authority, gave a presentation to the council regarding the work of the agency to enhance housing stability in the greater Bath area, which she called a core part of the health and wellness of a vibrant community.

“We are housing families that are vital parts of our community,” Keller said. “They are Bath people that needed good, affordable, stable housing.”

Keller said the agency, which operates almost 100 apartments in the city, strives to be one of the best landlords in Bath.

Bath Housing — which has a staff of 12 — administers programs through the Department of Housing and Urban Development and distributed thousands of pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to residents. In addition, the agency has provided housing navigation services to more than 100 households in the area.

“We’re excited to continue the work we’ve already done,” Keller said. “We appreciate the collaborative relationship (with the city).”

Ward 6 Councilor Susan Bauer said it is astonishing what the Bath Housing Authority has been able to accomplish.

In other business, the council appointed Karen Ray and Judy Martin to the Bath Housing Authority Board of Directors for 5-year terms. The council also approved updating the city’s fire safety code to meet current standards.