A proposed zoning bylaw that would allow for accessory apartments in Chilmark has been quietly gathering feedback from town boards and will be the subject of a public hearing early next month.

Jessica Roddy of the Chilmark housing committee, who spearheaded the effort in February, presented a draft bylaw to the selectmen last Wednesday. Short of an endorsement, the selectmen voted to move the process forward by sending the draft back to the planning board for further review. A final proposal will likely be voted on at the annual town meeting in April.

The zoning board of appeals, the board of health and the planning board (and its subcommittee) have also weighed in on the proposal, which has gone through 18 drafts since February.

According to the most recent draft, the apartments must be rented as affordable housing or otherwise rented or provided free of charge to immediate family members or caregivers.

“I think that’s huge for this town because there are not a lot of affordable options,” Ms. Roddy told the selectmen.

Property owners who obtain a special permit would be allowed one accessory apartment that does not exceed 800 square feet. On properties where a guest house would not be permissible, the limit would be 400 square feet. The town building inspector would be authorized to enforce all of the bylaw provisions.

The Dukes County Regional Housing Authority would administer the program for the apartments rented as affordable housing.

“I think having the building inspector and the housing authority involved in monitoring it is the key component,” selectman William Rossi said Wednesday. “There is no question it needs oversight.”

The planning board subcommittee has been helping to develop the proposal. At a meeting of the subcommittee on Monday, Ms. Roddy noted that some residents were concerned about the proliferation and appearance of new apartments. One suggestion, she said, was to restrict the houses to people who have proven their “Chilmark credentials.” She said that might be illegal, but that the idea would likely be brought up again.

A bylaw limiting the maximum house size in Chilmark was passed by a large majority at the annual town meeting last year. Ms. Roddy, who served on the planning board subcommittee that developed the big house bylaw, said the new proposal emerged from those efforts.

She recalled Chilmark police chief Brian Cioffi saying he wished he had more options for taking care of his aging father at home, since the town does not allow for accessory housing or even the conversion of existing structures for use as housing. Ms. Roddy took up the cause after joining the housing committee last year.

Both the bylaws are aimed at helping plan for the town’s future.

“It’s an aging population on the Island and an aging population in Chilmark,” Ms. Roddy said Monday. “So you think: Wow, how are these people going to stay here? So to be able to make a unit for a caregiver is a great thing.” She added that the apartments could also support people’s grown children, or others in need of affordable housing.

West Tisbury adopted a similar bylaw in 1992, and that has served as a template for Chilmark. But unlike in West Tisbury, Chilmark’s bylaw so far does not require that the property owners be year-round residents. It would also be subject to a five-year review by the zoning board, planning board and housing committee.

At its next meeting, scheduled for Monday, Nov. 24, at 3 p.m., the subcommittee will discuss the process of obtaining a permit and establishing an accessory apartment.

The public hearing is scheduled for Dec. 8 at 4:30 p.m.