During the July 22 meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board, the members continued discussion on a new Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) bylaw. Chairman Tom Tucker said, “We’ve been talking about this for months now and we’ve been putting it off because they’re waiting for a full board.” He said it has been difficult to seat a full board, especially during the summer months, but the time had come to put a draft before the public for their review and consideration before Town Meeting in the fall.
The board will present a bylaw that makes the Planning Board, not the Zoning Board of Appeals, the permitting authority for ADU construction. The same was suggested for the draft for the construction of cottage-style housing in the Route 6 corridor.
In the matter of crafting new language for the Route 6 corridor, the members agreed that the Route 6 corridor should match general business requirements, usually 400 feet back.
Member John Mathieu stated, “I would like any lot that has excess property over that line, that 400-foot line, the remainder of the lot shall be included as usable space under the bylaw so, if the lot is 500 feet deep, they can use it all 500 feet back just to extend it.”
Member Karen Field queried, “Where do we stand with affordable housing?” Tucker noted a developer is welcome to present a plan, but due to economic restrictions no one has come forward to date.
Resident and well-known businessman David McIntire has been present during the board’s public meetings regarding various types of housing and property-development concepts. On this night, he said he’d been waiting for, “many many years,” to build housing but not 40B housing. He prefers a type of housing that complements Mattapoisett absent the financial restrictions likely to be associated with housing that receives public funding. He said there are details he needs to share in a public forum. He said fine points needs to be articulated, but he expressed concern that sometime these points are lost in debate.
The board will announce a round of two public hearings to flesh out public comments and fine tuning of bylaw changes and creating new bylaws.
The board moved to finish bylaw drafts for both the Route 6 corridor (cottage-style housing units) and ADU’s and to post public-hearing notices in the coming weeks.
In the matter of updated rules for roadway acceptance, updates and recommendations will be sent to the Select Board for their review and consideration.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board is scheduled for Monday, August 4.
Mattapoisett Planning Board
By Marilou Newell