Committee forwards zoning overhaul to council after amending ADU size

The Gardner City Public Welfare Committee voted Thursday to send an ordinance to the full City Council aimed at easing rules the city says have hindered housing renovation and production.

Councilor Hardin, who introduced the ordinance with Mayor Nicholson as a co-sponsor, told the committee the proposal grew from cases in which long-vacant multifamily buildings lost grandfathered status and were forced to seek special permits before renovation. “If there were an earthquake tomorrow that destroyed the neighborhood, our rules make it impossible to rebuild it as it was,” Councilor Hardin said, arguing the changes would target mostly built-out multifamily areas.

The ordinance package includes several elements: allowing accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to comply with the state Affordable Homes Act; creating a small-home (formerly “tiny-home”) classification; permitting multifamily housing “by right” in mapped neighborhoods that now contain many long-standing multifamily structures; shortening average permitting turnaround for housing projects; enabling starter-home overlays tied to sections of the state General Laws; and changing parking requirements for apartment units.

The committee approved an amendment increasing the ordinance27s minimum ADU size from 900 square feet (the state minimum cited in the draft) to 1,250 square feet, and then voted to forward the amended ordinance to the full council for consideration. The committee also set a joint public hearing with the Planning Board for Nov. 3.

Key provisions described to the committee: - Accessory dwelling units: The draft adopts the state27s accessory-dwelling provisions required by the Affordable Homes Act (chapter 48 of the General Laws) but the committee amended the local minimum size from 900 sq. ft. to 1,250 sq. ft. - Small homes: The ordinance would allow small-home units that meet state building and sanitary codes in residential districts. The presenter said the typical small-home cost is about $150,000 (as stated during the presentation). - Multifamily by-right: An appendix map identifies predominantly multifamily sections (Sherman/Pine/Washington and parts of Greenwood) where previously grandfathered multifamily units that have been vacant for two years could be returned to multifamily use without requiring special-permit proceedings. - Expedited permitting: The proposal would set a 90-day target for housing-related permits and a 60-day target where a project includes a veterans27 preference component (the presenter said the latter reflects guidance from the Executive Office of Veterans Services). - Parking: The ordinance would shift from the current metric cited by staff—one parking space per bedroom—to a model of one parking space per unit and the use of compact spaces to increase efficiency, aligning with the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities model standard described in the presentation.

Committee members and the mayor raised questions about implementation: staffing in the building department and whether the city can meet the proposed 90-day turnaround given current vacancies; whether the ADU size change could exclude some homeowners; and how parking changes might affect specific projects, such as a pending case on Pine Street that is now in court. The presenter said staffing shortfalls drove much of the current backlog but that hiring of additional inspectors is underway.

The Chair called the voice votes; the committee recorded the amendment vote and then approved forwarding the ordinance as amended. The committee did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript. Committee members noted the measure falls within categories of the Housing Choice legislation (chapter 358 of the Acts of 2020) that permit certain zoning-related housing measures to be adopted by simple majority rather than a two-thirds council vote.

The ordinance package includes references to state rules and programs: the Affordable Homes Act (chapter 48 of the General Laws), chapter 40C (starter-home provisions cited in presentation), state building and sanitary codes, and executive-office guidance on veterans27 preference and parking standards. The administration also described ongoing work to compile a municipal surplus-property plan to identify city-owned parcels that could be used for housing in the future.

What the committee decided The committee approved an amendment to increase the minimum ADU size to 1,250 square feet and voted to forward the amended ordinance to the full City Council for a joint public hearing with the Planning Board on Nov. 3. The record shows the committee consensus to transmit the proposal; the transcript does not show a recorded roll-call vote tally.

Next steps The ordinance will be placed on the City Council agenda for a joint public hearing with the Planning Board on Nov. 3. If the council adopts the ordinance it will update the city27s zoning code to reflect elements described in the draft: ADU standards, small-home allowances, multifamily-by-right mapping, expedited permitting timelines, starter-home enabling language, and revised parking rules.

Sources: Gardner City Public Welfare Committee meeting transcript, Oct. 16, 2025 (presentation and discussion by Councilor Hardin and Mayor Nicholson); committee motions and voice votes during the meeting.