I know you, dear reader, are tired of this accessory dwelling unit (ADU) discussion, as am I. Because it is on the docket of the City Council, we must discuss it. So, I am here, once again, to express my concerns about the restrictions that Recorder columnist Al Norman wishes to put on ADUs in Greenfield [”A BAD mandate and the smell of sausage,” Feb. 19].

The other night, the winter warming center housed 23 adults in addition to the 45 adults in the CSO shelter. This number does not count the individuals and families who are living in the family shelter, cars, doubled up with friends or family, or camping. We have a real housing crisis. The Greenfield housing plan suggests that Greenfield may have 18 ADUs by 2035. They will do little to house the people whom we recently sheltered from the cold.

The ADU argument is a distraction from dealing with the housing crisis. Mr. Norman’s commentary is much ado about very little. Spending time on ADUs distracts us from the real needs at hand.

For those of you not keeping score, ADUs are accessory dwelling units. Greenfield’s zoning allows for development of apartments within an existing single-family home as a “by right” action. ADU discussions in the City Council concentrated on ADUs that are additional buildings on the property of existing dwellings. State regulations allow that if you own a home and wish to build one added house no larger than 900 square feet on your property and you follow all relevant zoning requirements including setbacks and open space, you may do so without a special permit. It is allowed “by right.”

Mr. Norman believes that ADUs should only be available to property owners’ family members. What happens when the family member moves or passes away? Does perfectly good housing remain empty because no family member wants to live in it?

An owner-occupancy requirement deters building ADUs. If grandma is in her 80s and it costs $250,000 to build an ADU and then grandma dies within the next 10 years, is it worthwhile to build this building at all? This was why the owner-occupancy requirement was rejected by the commonwealth.

Greenfield has two-family homes on a variety of lot sizes. Should the city demand that ADUs only be on lots of a certain size? In my neighborhood, we have 1, 2, 3 and 4-family homes all on approximately the same size lots. Requiring additional acreage might be good for New Hampshire, but it does not really hold water for Greenfield … and is not allowed by the state regulations regarding ADUs.

The state regulations allow for one detached ADU by right. Additional ADUs require a special permit. Mr. Norman suggests that Greenfield should prohibit multiple ADU buildings on the same lot. Should we restrict the development of a second ADU on a lot of an acre or more when the owner must go through a special permit process anyway? This is unnecessary regulation.

“An ADU created inside a primary dwelling shall be considered one ADU on a lot.” This limits a large single-family home from being divided into more than two apartments, even if building regulations would allow it. Such a building could not have an additional ADU building even if the lot were a very large lot and met all zoning codes. There is no need for this regulation other than to stop an ADU that meets all zoning regulations from being built.

“A detached ADU shall have a proximity maximum setback of 25 feet from the principal dwelling to keep the ADU closer to the principal dwelling than to a neighbor’s property.” This is a way to stop ADUs from being built. If my neighbor’s ADU meets all zoning requirements, that is just fine with me.

The Greenfield Housing Authority and the Franklin Regional Housing Authority have access to low-income residential housing vouchers through the state and federal governments. They are available to a variety of homes and family types. The voucher program that Mr. Norman suggests would be limited to ADUs and low-income seniors. Why?

What would Mr. Norman’s suggestions do? They do not increase much-needed housing regardless of income. They create new barriers to developing the 18 ADUs we can expect in the next decade. They make zoning laws more cumbersome. They do not make Greenfield a more welcoming or better community.

Susan Worgaftik lives in Greenfield. Although she works with Housing Greenfield, these thoughts are hers and do not represent the organization.