[Massplanners] How to convince voters to allow accessory apartments?

[Kristina Johnson]

Hi Paige,

As Planning Board Chair for Framingham, I have been helping advance an ADU ordinance, and it’s not easy!   Here’s what I have learned being on the other side of the table:

You have to engage the folks who would be positively affected by this by-law and have them tell the story for you whether it’s at the hearing or through the local newspaper.  All this chatter about “who’s living next door,” and “stranger danger” gets quelled when you have brave folks make a public plea about how an ADU By-law would help a family member age in place, or take care of a permanently disabled child.  During a Zoom workshop hosted by the Planning Board early this summer, we  had community members talk about how an ADU ordinance would allow them to take care of  a disabled child without resorting to institutionalization, or keep “Nana and Fluffy” in the household with their grandchildren, saving on nursing home/assisted living  and child care costs. Some of the testimony got me misty eyed and definitely quieted the relentless voices who kept insisting that an ADU ordinance will do nothing but create illegal apartments, etc.  We are still in the ordinance drafting stage and have not started the official amendment process.

Does Foxborough have a local newspaper? Get an article posted!  There must be elected officials, including the Planning Board, who are champions of this effort, and if there are, let them do the “selling.”  Here’s a link to the story the Framingham local paper ran, and it was blasted all over local social media. https://framinghamsource.com/index.php/2021/06/26/framingham-planning-board-takes-temperature-of-residents-on-in-law-apartment-ordinance/

Good luck Paige!

Kristina

Ps. Planning Staff in Framingham has done an amazing job with this effort,

Kristina Johnson, AICP
Director of Planning & Community Development
Town of Hudson,  MA
President, Mass. Association of Planning Directors
Tel: 978-562-2989
Cell:  857-939-3427
Email: kjohnson at townofhudson.org<mailto:kjohnson at townofhudson.org>
“Like” Hudson Planning and Community Development on Facebook [http://blogs-images.forbes.com/peterhimler/files/2014/02/high-res-logo_facebook1.png] <https://www.facebook.com/HudsonRecreation>


From: MassPlanners <massplanners-bounces at masscptc.org> On Behalf Of Paige via MassPlanners
Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2021 8:48 AM
To: massplanners at masscptc.org
Subject: [Massplanners] How to convince voters to allow accessory apartments?

Good morning all,

Here in Foxborough we are going to be voting on whether to expand the current inlaw apartment bylaw to allow non-relatives to rent an ADU.  Sounds simple, right?  NOT!  Folks insist this is creating multi-family housing in a single family district.

We have been engaged in a conversation on housing for 2+ years now and I know we will get push back on this effort.  I'm not sure we will get the required 2/3 vote (since we allow over 900 SF for our ADUs we don't qualify for the majority vote).

Does anyone have any outreach, PR or data that I could use at the public hearing tomorrow night to inform residents on why allowing attached ADUs to be rented to non-relatives would be wise for Foxborough?

Any case studies on how many ADUs were created once a similar provision was adopted in another town?

I think the "selling" of housing solutions is the hardest part of all of this.  Folks are so resistant, at least out here in the suburbs.  Any information or handouts or anything to make residents less afraid of this change would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Paige Duncan, AICP
Planning Director for the Town of Foxborough, MA

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*****************************
Paige E. Duncan, AICP, Planning Director
Foxborough Town Hall, 40 South Street
Foxborough, Massachusetts 02035
Ph: 508-543-1250

pduncan at foxboroughma.gov<mailto:pduncan at foxboroughma.gov>
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