Contractor Daniel Strum points to the site of an accessory dwelling unit at 27 Stonegate Circle in Wilbraham.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen
WILBRAHAM — The Wilbraham Planning Board approved two accessory dwelling units at its Sept. 24 meeting, the first to be approved since a bylaw regulating them was passed at the annual Town Meeting in May.
The bylaw was created after the Massachusetts Legislature passed the 2024 Affordable Homes Act, which made accessory dwelling units an as by right land use in the state.
Municipalities could craft bylaws with restrictions on the units, provided they did not contradict the state’s regulations.
Contractor Daniel Strum presented plans for an accessory dwelling unit at 27 Stonegate Circle. The 897-square-foot unit would be a free-standing structure, sharing a driveway with the primary residence on the property. Strum said the septic would be improved and the water would be piped to the unit from the single-family home. The plan also called for a 480-square-foot garage to be attached to the unit. The garage would accommodate a ramp for accessibility and stairs to a 6-foot-high crawl space, allowing access to the unit’s utilities.
During the public hearing, Neighbor Barbara Eves questioned whether the drainage system would contaminate her garden. Strum said the drainage should be about 70 feet from the property line and outside the required setbacks. The garage would be 50 feet from the neighbor’s property, he said.
“Everything looks good,” Planning Board Chair Jim Rooney said before the board unanimously approved the plan. He thanked the contractor for presenting clear plans.
The second proposal called for a 543-square-foot accessory dwelling unit to be attached to the home at 664 Stony Hill Road. As explained by property owners Anthony Tyler and Rebecca Impionbаtо, the unit would meet all setbacks, and a new water line would be run to service it.
When asked about the lack of a bedroom in the unit, Impionbаtо explained that the unit is for her mother, who is the primary caretaker of the couple’s son and sleeps in the house close to him. While the bylaw states that a unit must “be a complete, separate housekeeping unit that functions as a separate unit from the principal single-family dwelling,” the board was mostly satisfied with the explanation. Planning Board member Tracey Plantier asked if they had considered how the lack of a bedroom would affect the home’s sale in the future.
Impionbаtо said the couple planned for the house to be their “forever home” and had no plans to rent out the unit. Planning Director Michelle Buck remarked that, should the couple decide to do so, the site plan could be amended to later add a bedroom onto the unit.
There is a 20-day appeal period between Planning Board approval and when construction can begin.
