GREENFIELD — The Planning Board will hold two public information sessions on a proposed zoning change to allow accessory dwellings on Thursday.
The hour-long sessions will be held at the Senior Center, in the Weldon House, 54 High St., at 1:30 p.m. and at the Planning Office, 114 Main St., at 7 p.m. Following a presentation on accessory dwellings and the proposed ordinance, there will be a question-and-answer session for the public.
“We want the public to be informed about how this proposed ordinance came to be, what it is and what it isn’t,” said Planning Board Chairwoman Roxann Wedegartner.
The board withdrew an earlier proposal in April to give members time to do more research. The ordinance is intended to help older residents afford to stay in their homes by either renting space in their homes or converted garages or by renting out new buildings constructed for that purpose. It would also help provide affordable housing for young professionals, according to the board.
However, some residents voiced concern over who would be allowed to build the apartments — they can be up to 800 square feet and built either inside existing homes or as detached dwellings — and where they might be built. Other questions included how many children could live in each apartment and whether tenants would be allowed to park their cars on lawns or in gardens, creating eyesores and lowering property values.
Wedegartner said the meetings are not public hearings on specific language in the proposed ordinance, and a public meeting on the ordinance language will be held later in the process.
Current zoning prohibits these types of residences, although a recommendation in the Greenfield Sustainable Master Plan states the town should create such an ordinance to allow greater housing density and prepare for future population and demographic changes.
In accordance with the recommendation, the Planning Board is bringing the ADU ordinance forward for discussion and ultimately a vote by the Town Council.
You can reach Aviva Luttrell at:
aluttrell@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 268
On Twitter follow: @AvivaLuttrell