BUCKLAND — The Planning Board is holding a public forum to hear residents’ opinions on what they’d like to see from future zoning bylaws.
The forum will be held on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Buckland Town Hall.
The meeting stems from a housing survey conducted in 2016, the results of which will be presented next week, according to Planning Board Co-Chair Michael Hoberman, a 20-year Buckland resident.
“One of the reasons why we’re trying to convene this meeting (is) to try to find out what (our housing needs) are,” Hoberman said. “But we won’t know for sure until we run it by people.”
Next week’s presentation will outline three main options, which are strong ideas but not binding proposals, he said. The options — some of which would impact more rural parts of Buckland, while others would impact the village — involve amending accessory apartment regulations, allowing smaller lot sizes and encouraging cluster development.
“We’re not about to create bylaws. We’re trying to shape bylaws based on what people tell us in these meetings,” Hoberman said, adding that he hopes the meeting will have a large turnout.
To get these options, the Planning Board consulted with Alyssa Larose, senior land use and natural resource planner with the Franklin Regional Council of Governments. Using grant money, Larose conducted research on behalf of the Planning Board, and the potential zoning changes come from feedback on the survey, Census Bureau data and Larose’s research.
For each proposed change, photos will be provided in the presentation to offer a visual representation.
One option is to amend the regulations on who can live in an accessory apartment and how accessory apartments can be built on a property. Currently, accessory apartments must exist within a single-family home and occupancy is limited to two people.
The board will consider allowing accessory apartments to be in expansions to a single-family home or in a detached, separate structure. Additionally, the board is considering removing the two-person occupancy limit for accessory apartments.
A second option is to allow smaller lot sizes in the village. Although designed to increase the opportunity for housing, this proposal may also have a secondary effect. If enacted, smaller lot sizes would increase the number of current homes that would conform to zoning regulations, Larose said.
Larose noted that due to the building history of the village, much of the building occurred before zoning laws were put in place.
A third option looks at cluster development, which “are typically subdivision developments or condos,” Larose said, that have higher-density housing.
“(With) that increase in density, you’re also asking for some open space, so it’s balancing the smaller lots while also maintaining open space,” Larose said.
Hoberman said the Planning Board strongly welcomes feedback from the public.
“We don’t only welcome their participation and attention, but we actually rely on it,” he said. “We can’t shape bylaws that benefit the town unless we have people (present at the forum).”
Reach Maureen O’Reilly at 413-772-0261, ext. 280 or
moreilly@recorder.com.