MONTAGUE — The Planning Board voted unanimously this week to approve new accessory dwelling unit (ADU) bylaws that are expected to bring the town into compliance with the state’s Affordable Homes Act while allowing some additional leniency.
The revised zoning bylaws, if approved by Town Meeting members on May 2, would allow homeowners in residential districts to construct an ADU with a ground floor area of 900 square feet or less on their properties by right, and ADUs as large as 1,200 square feet through a special permit.
“[ADU construction] enables families to expand beyond their primary home, and provides empty nesters the option to downsize into a smaller space and rent out their larger home. It also offers grandparents a place to live close to their children and grandchildren,” Town Planner Maureen Pollock said, presenting the proposed bylaws. “It’s a smaller, less expensive, affordable home in an established neighborhood, without adding sprawl. [ADUs] require fewer resources to build and maintain, largely because they’re smaller in size and they use less energy for heating and cooling, which amounts to lower utility bills.”
In 2024, Gov. Maura Healey signed the Affordable Homes Act into law — a move that made the construction of ADUs, also known as “in-law apartments,” up to 900 square feet legal by right in single-family residential zones throughout the state. Allowing the option of a slightly larger 1,200-square-foot ADU by special permit, Pollock said, was a decision to make Montague’s bylaws more lenient than required by state law.
Pollock noted that the Selectboard referred the updated ADU bylaws to the Planning Board at its Feb. 2 meeting.
When the proposed bylaw changes were brought to public comment, Planning Board Acting Chair Lizbeth Irving read an email in support of the amendments from resident Ben Dryer, who described himself as a homeowner and a builder by profession. Dryer said that by-right ADU construction, in his opinion, will make housing construction cheaper and less risky.
“I bought some parcels near Montague Center with the intention of building some more homes. As we all know, construction costs are very high these days. The ADU rule makes it economically feasible to build relatively affordable two- and three-bedroom homes on these lots, which I believe will benefit the town, since these will [provide] new homebuyers or empty nesters looking to downsize with high-quality homeownership options,” Dryer wrote. “The ability to build smaller ADUs as a right instead of by special permit makes the process of financing construction smoother and easier, which in turn helps to lower the cost of construction, since it takes some risk and some time out of the equation.”
Other residents, such as Stacey Langknecht, also voiced support for the updated ADU bylaws, noting that the Planning Board’s decision to allow ADU development of up to 1,200 square feet by special permit would make construction more feasible for those wishing to an add an ADU to their lot.
“Having the possibility of a larger option seems really good,” Langknecht said.