Several other cities, including East Bethel and Lakeville, also have city codes that allow detached townhomes.

Chanhassen has approved detached townhomes since the late 1990s. More recently, plans for a development called Avienda, off Hwy. 212, include detached townhomes, Chanhassen City Manager Laurie Hokkanen said.

But the new ordinance allows them without a special approval process and adds criteria to standardize them, Eric Maass, the city’s community development director, told the Planning Commission.

“We are now reacting to a broader marketplace and broader market desires for a housing product like this,” he said.

In Chanhassen, detached townhomes can now be built in low- and medium-density residential areas where single-family and townhomes are allowed. The code sets standards for them, including lot sizes roughly half the size required for a single-family home in the same zone, as long as there are at least 15 feet between the detached townhomes.

Detached townhomes are characterized as a Goldilocks product in the housing market: something between a single-family home and a traditional townhome or condo with shared walls. Owners are usually responsible for maintaining the house itself, but lawn care and snow removal are typically hired out by the homeowners association.