By By Leada Gore, Hartselle Enquirer
Blood may be thicker than water, but both could matter when it comes to how many people can occupy a home in Hartselle.
The City Council approved an amendment to the city’s zoning ordinance Tuesday night that defines “family.” The definition will be used when determining how many people can occupy a home or apartment.
In the past, Hartselle defined a family as “individuals living together as a single housekeeping unit and doing their cooking on the premises.” There were no stipulations to the number of people who lived together or whether those people had to be related.
Under the new terms, “family” is defined as an individual or two or more people “related by blood, marriage or adoption, maintaining a common household in a dwelling unit; or a group of not more than four people who are not all related by blood, marriage or adoption, living together as a common household in a dwelling unit.”
The change comes on the heels of numerous requests from resident David Wood, who said the change was needed to combat problems of groups of people living in homes or apartments not designed to accommodate them.
The council also: