A proposed zoning bylaw intended to encourage smaller homes along the Route 6 corridor drew more than 30 residents to the Planning Board Monday night. Much of the discussion centered on a question that has become increasingly important in town: Will smaller, less expensive homes do enough to address Mattapoisett’s affordable housing shortage?
The proposed Cottage Community Development Bylaw would allow clusters of four to 10 homes around common open space on qualifying properties fronting Route 6 from the Fairhaven town line to the Marion town line.
Homes would be limited to 1,500 square feet and 25 feet in height, with one dwelling allowed for every 4,000 square feet of land. The developments would share common open space and generally use a common driveway, with parking located behind the homes.
The intent, Planning Board members explained, is to create another housing option for younger residents, first-time buyers and older homeowners looking to downsize while reducing the land and infrastructure required for development.
But the homes would not be affordable housing as defined by the state, and the bylaw does not require developers to include affordable units.
That distinction dominated much of the hearing.
Board members said the intent was to create homes that could sell for less than much of Mattapoisett’s existing housing stock. One member suggested homes selling for approximately $450,000 to $550,000 could provide an alternative for first-time buyers and downsizers.
“If we can afford to create $500,000 homes or $450,000 to $550,000 homes that first-time owners and downsizers can achieve and move into, we’re doing something positive for the community,” the member said.
Residents, however, questioned whether a smaller home would necessarily result in an affordable sales price.
Elizabeth DiCarlo of Prospect Road said the issue needs to be considered more broadly.
“My concern is that the affordability issue is something we need to look at in a broader way,” DiCarlo said.
She said median income should be part of determining what affordability means in Mattapoisett and called for a broader discussion about the kind of community residents want Mattapoisett to remain.
“Not having affordable housing is limiting people who grew up here, who want to stay here, or who want to move back here,” DiCarlo said.
Mattapoisett currently has approximately 2.4% of its housing counted toward the state’s Subsidized Housing Inventory, well below the 10% threshold established under Chapter 40B. The issue was raised repeatedly by residents during the hearing.
Colin Labrie of Hollywoods Road described what rising housing costs look like from the perspective of a parent raising three young children in town.
Labrie noted that his child’s fourth-grade class has three sections, while the incoming first grade has been reduced to two.
With average home prices continuing to climb, Labrie said, “We’re almost looking at an end to a way of life.”
He said he worries about whether his children will have other children to trick-or-treat with, friends in school and enough children to participate in local sports.
“Anything that could help that situation would be much appreciated and supported by the younger families in town,” Labrie said.
He also acknowledged that younger families are often missing from town meetings and hearings because both parents may be working and meetings compete with dinner and children’s schedules. Labrie said he plans to encourage more families to become involved.
The Planning Board pushed back on the idea of requiring affordable units within cottage developments, arguing that such a requirement could make projects of only four to 10 homes financially unattractive to developers.
One Board member said affordable housing requirements may be better suited to larger developments, where setting aside a percentage of units would be more feasible.
Other residents remained concerned that without an affordability requirement, nothing would prevent a developer from charging market prices even for smaller houses.
The discussion underscored the limits of the cottage proposal as a solution to the town’s larger housing problem.
Although the proposed district would extend along the Route 6 corridor from the Fairhaven line to the Marion line, those at the hearing acknowledged that relatively few available properties along that stretch could be developed into cottage communities.
The bylaw would therefore create another type of housing in Mattapoisett but would not, by itself, substantially increase the town’s inventory of state-defined affordable housing.
The proposal calls for at least 400 square feet of common open space per dwelling, with at least 75 percent of the homes adjoining that space. Each dwelling would also have at least 200 square feet of private outdoor space.
Architectural variation and landscaping would be required, with existing vegetation preserved where possible. Shared amenities could include playgrounds, community buildings or other gathering areas.
Residents also raised questions about sewer capacity, FEMA flood requirements, wildlife habitat, frontage requirements, short-term rentals and how the boundaries of the proposed cottage district would be defined.
The hearing also uncovered a procedural issue that will require the proposal to take another trip through the approval process.
After consulting with town counsel, the Board said the proposed zoning amendment must first be submitted to the Select Board, which would then refer it back to the Planning Board. Another public hearing would then be held before the proposal could move forward to Town Meeting.
The Planning Board did not vote to approve the bylaw Monday night.
Earlier in the meeting, the Board reviewed the Park Lane Extension development, where the roadway has been renamed Boardwalk Drive with Select Board approval.
The Board discussed outstanding peer-review and as-built documentation and voted to release one portion of the project’s surety while retaining $18,500 until the remaining review is completed.
Mattapoisett Planning Board
By Jeanne Hopkins