SPRINGFIELD — With accessory dwelling units about to become more ubiquitous than ever before, a couple of Springfield city councilors are seeking more information about how added costs are affecting the city’s residents.
At-large City Councilor Tracye Whitfield and Ward 4 City Councilor Malo Brown conducted a Maintenance and Development subcommittee meeting on Aug. 20 to ask city departments and the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission about the additional expenses facing developers who want to build an ADU.
Whitfield said the meeting spawned because of a complaint from a developer who was allegedly being charged by the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission for new piping in the ADU that they were building.
“I was just wondering why that would be,” Whitfield said. “Why wouldn’t you just be able to add extensions to the existing water line.”
While he said he needed to find more information on this matter, SWSC Executive Director Josh Schimmel said that a new building or new unit typically needs independent water and sewer services, based on the SWSC’s rules and regulations.
He added that the commission usually never splits an existing service because that typically leads to leakage.
However, he said a single service is acceptable between the main and dwelling unit.
The Maintenance and Development meeting comes several months after Gov. Maura Healey signed the $5.16 billion Affordable Homes Act. Among 50 policy initiatives, the act amends the statewide Zoning Act to allow accessory dwelling units up to 900 square feet to be built by right in single-family zoning districts in every Massachusetts community.
The law went into effect Feb. 2, superseding any existing local ordinances that were inconsistent with what the state says. Because of this, municipalities all across the state, including Springfield, were forced to codify regulations around ADUs.
The goal of the state law, according to Healey, is to create more affordable housing options for people of all ages, including seniors and young adults.
Communities are now grappling with the nuances of this new law. The Springfield City Council approved a new zoning ordinance that regulates the build-out of ADU units in the city, which includes laws such as any new ADU must meet underlying city zone regulations, and any new construction must go through the building permit and administrative site plan review process.
Reminder Publishing reported on the specifics of these laws in February.
While not much came out of the Maintenance and Development subcommittee in terms of clarity, Schimmel said he is currently not aware of any water and sewer-related issues pertaining to the buildout of ADUs. According to Deputy Director of Planning Phil Dromey, there are only two ADU applications going through the city process as of press time: one where a developer is looking to attach an ADU to an existing structure, and one that involves a separate structure.
Building Commissioner Steve Desilets said whether or not someone can use an existing water and sewer structure in an attached ADU depends on code and distance. A freestanding ADU, however, is treated like a brand-new structure, and would therefore likely follow different regulations.
Schimmel said it costs anywhere from $1,200 to $2,500 for a replacement of a water or sewer service to a home. The Water and Sewer Commission, however, does not own the pipes; the customers do.
The commission typically focuses on repairs instead of building brand new services in new developments. Schimmel said contractors usually handle that.
“I just want to be clear, like you’re a homeowner and you have a problem with your water and sewer, call us first,” Schimmel said. “And if we can help, we will. And if we can’t, then you’re off to plumbers and contractors.”
Schimmel asked Whitfield to send him questions in writing about ADUs so his team could do more research on the matter. The hope with this conversation, according to Whitfield, is to make sure developers are not being charged astronomical prices for building an ADU on their property.
“ADUs is a great way for emerging developers, small businesses [and] businesses in the BIPOC community to learn this development business,” Whitfield said. “It should be a more inexpensive way to learn and grow small businesses in the city of Springfield, and adding additional fees just isn’t really cost efficient for them.”
