Developments of tiny homes, also known as cottages, will be allowed soon in Anne Arundel County.

County lawmakers narrowly passed legislation Tuesday night paving the way for the developments, with the council’s four Democrats voting for it and three Republicans against.

The bill now heads to the desk of County Executive Steuart Pittman, a Democrat whose administration expressed support for the measure. It would become law 45 days after Pittman signs it.

“I’m excited to talk to some of the potential builders or landowners who are interested in pursuing this policy,” said Councilman Pete Smith, the north county Democrat who sponsored the bill, in an interview Tuesday night.

“I’m more excited about the people who own these because I’ve seen the variety of homes that have been built in these cottage home communities, and they just look amazing,” Smith added. “To have that as resource and opportunity here in this county I think is going to be amazing for our citizens.”

County code didn’t prohibit tiny homes, but building them was not feasible for developers under existing law. Smith’s bill seeks to change that.

Under current code, for example, a developer likely wouldn’t be able to sell a tiny home profitably in a zoning district that allows one residence per acre. Under Smith’s legislation, a developer could build 12 cottages in an area zoned for one residence per acre.

The bill includes similar density incentives for all residential zoning districts and allows cottage homes on certain commercial and industrial lots.

Smith previously told The Banner that the increased housing density in the legislation makes tiny home developments “viable” for developers. He expects the cottages to sell for around $200,000, far below the county’s median home price of more than $500,000.

His legislation mandates tiny homes be 800 square feet or smaller.

The measure also includes restrictions on who can buy a tiny home. Only people who make no more than the area median income, approximately $130,000, will be allowed to purchase the cottages. Arundel Community Development Services, a quasi-governmental agency, will regulate the income provision.

“By putting constraints on the buyer, it also puts constraints on the builder to build products that also fall in the price range we are trying to serve,” Smith said.

Other areas, including Baltimore and Sacramento, California, have turned to tiny homes to combat homelessness. Smith said he sees cottages as the perfect product for young people looking to enter the housing market and seniors looking to downsize.

Smith’s fellow Democrats view tiny homes as another “tool” to combat the affordable housing crisis.

Republicans expressed concern that cottage home developments would change communities.

Smith’s bill includes provisions requiring tiny home developments to be built in places served by water and sewer lines and suitable roads. Like any other housing development, tiny home communities would be subject to review by the county’s Office of Planning and Zoning, which considers public feedback on a project.