Somerset council establishes Development Committee to study housing, code changes
Summary
Council voted to create a Somerset Development Committee and approved its charter and chair. Residents urged the committee to examine 'gentle density' options and duplexes to preserve housing diversity; council members debated committee scope and membership.
The Somerset Town Council on June 1 voted to establish a Development Committee and adopted a charter laying out the group's scope and membership. Council president Peller moved to adopt the charter and nominated Robert Stenberg as chair; the motion passed by voice vote.
During the council discussion, resident Lucy Freeman urged the new committee to include a mandate to study housing diversity and to consider duplexes and triplexes as options to maintain diverse housing stock. Julie Greenberg, who could not stay for the full hearing, asked the council to charge the committee with investigating 'gentle density' zoning and recommended two council liaisons to support the committee's work.
Council members generally praised the committee as a way to address long-running neighborhood concerns while acknowledging the group's scope may overlap existing committees. Councilors directed that the committee should work with staff and report back to the council; members emphasized the need for a clear, phased charge to avoid duplication with other bodies such as the Parks and Natural Resources Committee and the budget committee.
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