State Rep. Angelo Puppolo Jr.
Reminder Publishing file photo
SPRINGFIELD — Several state lawmakers are looking to better control a state law that allows accessory dwelling units by right in single family zoning districts across the state.
State Rep. Angelo Puppolo (D-Springfield) recently filed a bill that would authorize municipalities and towns with over 10% affordable or subsidized housing to implement additional owner-occupancy and parking regulations when reviewing ADU applications.
“We’ve been working with a lot of neighborhood groups and residents to try and come up with a viable solution that we think will put some control on these auxiliary dwellings,” Puppolo said in an interview.
The filed bill, “An act relative to municipal housing requirements,” comes to fruition several weeks after a new state law borne out of the Affordable Homes Act went into effect on Feb. 2 across the state.
The law, enacted to address housing shortages and provide homeowners with more flexibility, amends the statewide Zoning Act to allow ADU units up to 900 square feet to be built by right in single-family zoning districts in every Massachusetts community.
It also codifies regulations that municipalities must follow regarding location, size, types of ADUs and owners’ relationships to these properties.
At least one of those regulations is causing some uneasiness locally, especially in Springfield. According to the new state law, municipalities cannot require owner occupancy or family relationship for the ADU or the principal dwelling.
Philip Dromey, the deputy director of planning for Springfield’s Planning Department, told the Springfield City Council during a mid-winter meeting that the lack of an owner occupancy requirement was something a few Springfield neighborhoods talked about as a concern.
“Does that open the door for investors to start scooping up homes and putting in ADUs and renting them?,” Dromey pondered during that meeting. “Again, that may come out to be true, I don’t know. I certainly do agree with the concern that this does have a possibility of impacting single family residents.”
Puppolo’s bill would address that issue within the state law. The state representative said an owner occupancy mandate would likely prevent the problem of absentee landlords and quell some of the concerns around potential population increases in densely populated areas like Springfield.
“The absentee landlord issue has always been a problem, not only with ADUs, but with property in general, so we don’t want to enhance this problem,” Puppolo said. “What we’re trying to do, basically, is protect the quality of life in the neighborhoods, in these areas. And I think this bill does that.”
The bill also authorizes municipalities to implement additional parking regulations when reviewing ADUs, according to Puppolo, who said the goal is to prevent widespread parking correlating with these ADUs.
“We don’t want to have too many cars on these properties,” he said. “If you don’t have the required parking availability, then the ADU shouldn’t be qualified.”
The filed bill features several petitioners, including state Reps. Orlando Ramos (D-Springfield) and Bud Williams (D-Springfield). Aside from Springfield, Puppolo said he has heard from other gateway cities and bigger towns about owner occupancy issues.
Readers can learn more about the state’s ADU regulations by visiting Reminder Publishing’s prior coverage here: tinyurl.com/2s4cwy3z.
