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

Wed Oct 13 13:53:20 EDT 2021

Self-interest works great – YOU can add one to your SFD. Live there when you get older while renting out the main house.  House a caretaker.  House your kids or parents. Or just rent it for the extra income.

Planning-wise, some advantages are:

• Increase stock of naturally affordable housing.

• Add diversity to housing stock.

• Creates new housing without developing raw land for new lots and driveways.

Jeff Lacy

Rural Planning Associates

(413) 253-0705

From: MassPlanners <massplanners-bounces at masscptc.org> On Behalf Of Rachel Nadkarni via MassPlanners
Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2021 11:35 AM
To: Anthony Flint <anthony.flint at lincolninst.edu>
Cc: massplanners at masscptc.org
Subject: Re: [Massplanners] How to convince voters to allow accessory apartments?

Hi Paige, 

I was with the City of Newton during the adoption of the Accessory Dwelling Unit changes. Part of the discussion we had with the community then was that each aspect of an accessory dwelling unit was already allowed in another form. 

*	The ADU didn't allow for more square footage than was already allowed on a property
*	By-right ADUs in accessory structures had to fit into existing by-right accessory structure sizes 
*	Renting rooms to unrelated individuals was already allowed, and the same limit would apply whether or not those individuals were in an ADU or not 
*	Having a second kitchen in a home was already possible, and not unprecedented 

The focus then was on the flexibility this allowed families to layout their interiors as works for them, since the true distinguisher of an ADU would then be the key-locked door between the spaces. Without the locking door, everything else about the ADU would be compliant with zoning. 

The other thing we discussed, was that the rights allowed to the accessory unit were limited compared to the second unit on a 2-family home. In the accessory unit, there was no possibility of condo-ization, whereas 2-family homes could have two separate owners with each unit having all the related property rights. Under the pre-existing rules on renting rooms, in a 2-family condo, each unit could rent rooms to unrelated individuals, and that wouldn't be possible in an ADU.

Hopefully this is useful to Foxborough's discussion. We were able to build off of the existing renting of rooms allowance, and that may not be the case in some communities. 

Best wishes,

Rachel 

Rachel Nadkarni 

Senior Planner - Urban Revitalization Specialist

City of Somerville, Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development

On Wed, Oct 13, 2021 at 10:33 AM Anthony Flint via MassPlanners <massplanners at masscptc.org <mailto:massplanners at masscptc.org> > wrote:

The experience of Durango, Colorado might be instructive: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-17/how-one-colorado-city-instantly-created-more-affordable-housing-by-relaxing-rules-on-accessory-dwelling-units

Newton has also had some success in an environment of occasional skepticism: https://steveworks.com/2019/05/everything-you-need-to-know-about-newton-accessory-apartments/

Anthony Flint <http://anthonyflint.net/> 
Senior Fellow
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy <https://www.lincolninst.edu/> 
617-930-1044
@landpolicy <https://twitter.com/landpolicy> 
Finding answers in land

From: MassPlanners <massplanners-bounces at masscptc.org <mailto:massplanners-bounces at masscptc.org> > On Behalf Of Kristina Johnson via MassPlanners
Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2021 10:05 AM
To: Paige <paigeplanner at gmail.com <mailto:paigeplanner at gmail.com> >
Cc: massplanners at masscptc.org <mailto:massplanners at masscptc.org> 
Subject: Re: [Massplanners] How to convince voters to allow accessory apartments?

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:  <mailto:kjohnson at townofhudson.org> kjohnson at townofhudson.org

“Like” Hudson Planning and Community Development on Facebook  <https://www.facebook.com/HudsonRecreation> 

From: MassPlanners <massplanners-bounces at masscptc.org <mailto: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

-- 

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

pduncan at foxboroughma.gov

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