Housing addressed at Mattapoisett Town Meeting
Michele Bernier of the Mattapoisett Board of Health asked questions about the ADU bylaw. Photos by Mari Huglin
Residents ponder during discussion.
Michele Bernier of the Mattapoisett Board of Health asked questions about the ADU bylaw. Photos by Mari Huglin
Residents ponder during discussion.
MATTAPOISETT — Two housing bylaws were addressed at Spring Town Meeting on Monday, May 11.
Residents were asked to vote on two bylaws addressing housing in the area. One bylaw was the Cottage Community Bylaw and the other addressed Accessory Dwelling Units also known as ADUs.
The Cottage Community Bylaw, which would allow for housing developments to contain multiple detached homes that share a central green space on the Route 6 corridor, did not pass.
Resident Liz DeCarlo supported the bylaw, but wanted to table the discussion for the night hoping the bylaw could be adjusted to support more affordable housing in Mattapoisett.
“I really believe that this is an opportunity to be able to incorporate affordability into our town,” DeCarlo said.
A motion to indefinitely postpone the bylaw was presented, but did not pass.
Voters then decided to not support the bylaw. Many residents agreed with DeCarlo that more affordable housing should be supported in town.
Bill Wennerberg of the Mattapoisett Planning Board explained that the cottage cluster housing is not intended to replace affordable housing, but to give residents more options.
This type of housing is intended for first time home owners and older adults that is more affordable for people in the area, but not to state affordable housing standards.
“Affordable housing is good, it's just a separate conversation,” Wennerberg said.
The Accessory Dwelling Unit Bylaw was passed with an amendment presented by Michele Bernier who is on the Mattapoisett Board of Health.
The Accessory Unit Bylaw is an amendment to the current ADU bylaw making it easier to understand the restrictions on the structures.
Currently, ADU’s can be built no larger than 900 square feet, but with a special permission the structures can be up to 1,200 square feet.
Bernier wanted the ADU bylaw to include Board of Health regulations that met its standards on septic systems.
“It would assist the Board of Health in having more adequate engineering coming before us,” Bernier said.
