MONSON — The Monson Planning Board approved the final edits to the town’s draft accessory dwelling unit bylaw at its Aug. 28 meeting after making a handful of modifications from the previously discussed draft at the Aug. 20 meeting.
With these recent edits, the draft bylaw will next be discussed at the Planning Board’s Sept. 17 public hearing. At this meeting, the board will have the opportunity to discuss the bylaw further before deciding whether to recommend in favor of the bylaw change, against the bylaw change or to not make any recommendation at the upcoming Oct. 28 Town Meeting, Planning Board Chair Craig Sweitzer said.
The discussion on accessory dwelling units was first raised at the Select Board’s Aug. 13 meeting, following the state’s approval of the Affordable Housing Act on Aug. 6. In addition to approving resident access to accessory dwelling units “by right,” the legislation outlines initiatives and authorized funds to address unbalanced demand and pricing for housing in Massachusetts, as stated by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
The accessory dwelling unit initiative will officially go into effect in February 2025, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Land Use and Environment Deputy Director Ken Comia stated.
The Planning Board’s bylaw provides specific details on what qualifies as an accessory dwelling unit and the town’s regulations for this type of construction. This includes a definition, use, dimensions, details on site plan approvals, information on pre-existing non-conforming buildings with units, and parking requirements, as seen in the document. The draft bylaw is available for residents to view on the Planning Board webpage under “Proposed Bylaw Changes & Proposed Zone District Changes 2024.” In the draft bylaw, accessory dwelling units are defined as an “attached or detached” unit that is located on the property of the main residential building.
During the Aug. 28 meeting, the board agreed upon five clarifying changes to the draft crafted by town counsel. These changes included removing specific words in order to increase understanding of the bylaw language, reaffirming the requirement of a site plan approval from the Planning Board and renumbering the bylaw.
The board also agreed to add a definition of gross living area, which is referenced in the bylaw under dimensional requirements. The added definition mirrors the town’s definition of living space, Sweitzer said. Specifically, the definition notes that gross living area refers to “space within a dwelling unit utilized for sleep, living, sleeping, eating, cooking, bathing, washing and sanitation purposes,” he stated.
Another change that Planning Board made was to remove language about accessory apartments and replace it with the information about accessory dwelling units. Through this modification, added units such as in-law apartments would no longer require a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals, but would follow the process as accessory dwelling units in needing a site plan approval from the Planning Board, Comia explained.
Following the approved changes, the modified bylaw will be sent individually to each Planning Board member to review prior to the Sept. 17 public hearing, Comia said. In this way, members will have the opportunity to comment on the new draft while ensuring that Open Meeting laws are maintained.
More information about the draft accessory dwelling unit bylaw can be found in the document at monson-ma.gov/530/Proposed-Bylaw-Changes-Proposed-Zone-Dis.
