SHREWSBURY – Shrewsbury will seek Town Meeting’s approval in November to update the town’s zoning to match new state law allowing Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), Director of Planning and Economic Development Christopher McGoldrick said at a Sept. 5 Planning Board meeting.
On Aug. 6, Governor Maura Healey signed the Affordable Homes Act, which her office called “the most ambitious legislation in Massachusetts history to tackle the state’s greatest challenge — housing costs.” The legislation will spend $5.16 billion over the next five years and includes nearly 50 policy initiatives designed to “counter rising housing costs caused by high demand and limited supply.”
Specifically, the Affordable Homes Act will allow ADUs — often called in-law apartments — by right on single-family lots. According to the definition in Healey’s press release, ADUs can be “attached or detached from a single-family home and often take shape as a basement or attic conversion.”
Homeowners may now add an ADU on a single-family lot without a special permit or variance, though local building codes still apply. Healey estimates that over 8,000 ADUs will be built due to the law.
Shrewsbury plans to include language in the Town Meeting warrant to update zoning and permit ADUs in accordance with state law, according to McGoldrick.
The town already has language regarding ADUs on the books in the Town Center District, said McGoldrick. Shrewsbury will ask Town Meeting to take the existing language and extend it townwide to meet state law.
“This will just keep our existing bylaw in line with state statute,” said McGoldrick.
The proposed bylaw would not require any potential ADU to be occupied. An ADU in a detached building would abide by district setbacks and only be allowed in a property’s side or rear yard. The proposed language prohibits short-term rentals, such as those offered by Airbnb and Vrbo.
The town is also proposing minor changes to the bylaw’s language to mirror state law.
In addition to the ADU article and an article regarding MBTA zoning, Town Meeting members can expect a few other zoning-related articles, including one that seeks to tweak the definition of “brew pub” in a continued effort to make zoning for brewery-related businesses easier. Another article updates the town’s definition of “frontage.”
