Greenfield residents, there’s a new ordinance in town: the Accessory Dwelling Unit. And guess what? This could happen to you!
Let’s say you live at 85 Hastings St. and your neighbor on 226 High St. decides to build an ADU. They could in fact build two at the size of their original house.
This would mean two 854 square-foot buildings planted 20 feet from your property line, creating more visual and auditory noise in your life. And say the neighbor at 83 Hastings St. also decides to build an ADU or two, and everything, sewer, percolation test, etc., pass muster.
Those residing in No. 85 would have possibly two, 710-square-foot. buildings next door on their other side. This could happen. And it is happening to residents at 921 Bernardston Road.
In its original planning stages, an ADU was intended as an addition to an already existing dwelling, to help senior residents and those with fewer financial resources who have live-in relatives or care-givers closer by, or just to provide affordable housing.
Greenfield is bound to have a shortage of senior housing when all the baby boomers are in need, and this would be a lifesaver to those on fixed incomes.
Not so the resident of 907 Bernardston Rd. The 10-room house and upstairs garage apartment seemingly do not provide enough space, so an additional, detached 900-square-foot English Cottage may soon be easily viewed from every window, not from No. 907, but from 921 Bernardston Road.
Did you buy or build in Greenfield expecting the zoning laws to change so radically? How is this ordinance different from a subdivision?
Diana Roberts
Greenfield