[Massplanners] How to convince voters to allow accessory apartments?
Ella Wise
ellacrwise at gmail.com
Wed Oct 20 11:54:25 EDT 2021
Thanks for the question, Paige! Here are a few resources that I've come
across to help with ADU reform:
- Abundant Housing MA just hosted a webinar on this question with a focus
on Arlington's recent amendments. You can view the recording of "Winning
ADUs in Arlington & Prospects for State Action" here
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxJQH6ek-NA>
- Equitable Arlington provides a trove of communication materials. See
the website
here <https://equitable-arlington.org/category/housing/zoning/>,
including a very effective FAQ
<https://menotomymatters.com/assets/docs/ADUFactSheet_BThornton.pdf>
authored by Barbara Thornton.
- AARP offers resources on ADUs, including *The ABCs of ADUs
<https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/livable-communities/livable-documents/documents-2019/ADU-guide-web-singles-071619.pdf
>*
- Here is a summary of ADU benefits based on the materials I've reviewed:
1. Provide homeowners more options
- Downsize while staying on your property and live in the ADU
- House a caretaker on your property
- House your children or parents
- Gain an extra source of income by renting out an ADU
2. Provide less-expensive housing choices
- Cost less than a new single-family home on a separate lot, thus
provide options for low- and moderate-income residents
- Help seniors stay in their community and “age in place” by renting
out their ADU or downsizing the living in it themselves
- Provide smaller housing options to meet the growing needs of empty
nesters, smaller families, and young adults
- Help make it easier for people who work in town to live in town,
including teachers, firefighters, and nurses (to name a few)
3. Have a low impact on the environment and neighborhood
- No development of open space
- No large, new construction projects
- No new infrastructure needed
- Gentle density designed and maintained by homeowners
- More compact, infill development promotes more walkable, car-lite
neighborhoods
On Mon, Oct 18, 2021 at 1:39 PM Carolyn Britt via MassPlanners <
massplanners at masscptc.org> wrote:
> All,
>
> I had to present an article to Town Meeting this past saturday on allowing
> a detached accessory dwelling unit in our downtown residential area on lots
> of a certain size, and a maximum sf area of 1000sf. An earlier article
> removed a density bonus in the same area, still allowing multi-family units
> but reducing additional density that could be applied for. By doing this,
> we will give up some payment in lieu for affordable units, but we almost
> never got an actual unit from this.
>
> We had nine articles on the warrant, and virtually all of them passed with
> a 90/10 vote, including all the zoning articles. The major article was to
> authorize money for a new public safety building, so the bulk of voters
> came out for that article.
>
> You all had me quite concerned that the ADU would never pass without a lot
> more groundwork, but it was almost too easy. Maybe the answer is to assess
> the other articles to see what large interest group might attend. But I
> would not have guessed that supporters of a new public safety building
> would also support an ADU by-law.
>
> In addition, we got the Town to commit to building the new building fully
> electric with ground source heat pumps and net zero. The tour of the new
> police station in Beverly that is also electric/ground source/net zero
> helped a great deal. Thanks Beverly!
>
> Wishing you all well with your ADU efforts, and similar success.
>
> Carolyn
>
> Carolyn Britt, AICP
> Community Investment Associates
> P.O. Box 235
> Ipswich, MA 01938
> (978) 356-2164
> (978) 317-2145 (cell)
> (978) 356-9881
>
> On 10/13/2021 11:35 AM, Rachel Nadkarni via MassPlanners wrote:
>
> 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> 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> *On Behalf Of *Kristina
>> Johnson via MassPlanners
>> *Sent:* Wednesday, October 13, 2021 10:05 AM
>> *To:* Paige <paigeplanner at gmail.com>
>> *Cc:* 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: kjohnson at townofhudson.org
>>
>> “Like” Hudson Planning and Community Development on Facebook [image:
>> 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
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>>
>>
>> *****************************
>> Paige E. Duncan, AICP, Planning Director
>> Foxborough Town Hall, 40 South Street
>> Foxborough, Massachusetts 02035
>> Ph: 508-543-1250
>>
>> pduncan at foxboroughma.gov
>> --
>> MassPlanners mailing list
>> MassPlanners at masscptc.org
>> http://masscptc.org/mailman/listinfo/massplanners_masscptc.org
>>
>
> --
> Carolyn Britt, AICP
> Community Investment Associates
> P.O. Box 235
> Ipswich, MA 01938
> (978) 356-2164
> (978) 317-2145 (cell)
> (978) 356-9881
>
> --
> MassPlanners mailing list
> MassPlanners at masscptc.org
> http://masscptc.org/mailman/listinfo/massplanners_masscptc.org
>
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