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Committee considers rewriting section 8.7 to speed temporary housing after fires
Summary
Town of Lakeville zoning committee discussed rewriting zoning bylaw section 8.7 on temporary licenses to remove selectmen approval and allow building or permit staff to authorize short-term occupied trailers after home fires.
Members of the Town of Lakeville Zoning Bylaw Review Committee discussed amending section 8.7 of the town zoning bylaw to shorten delays that can arise when residents need temporary housing following a fire or while a house is under construction.
The committee reviewed the bylaw language that currently requires multiple approvals — including the Board of Health and, in practice, selectmen approval — before a temporary occupied trailer can be sited. Committee members described steps that must take place now: Board of Health sign-off on septic and water, building department inspection for stairs and smoke detectors, and other safety checks. Members said that the selectmen step can create a scheduling delay that slows placement of a trailer for an occupant who has lost a home or needs immediate shelter.
Two options were raised: permit the temporary occupied unit through the building department, aligning it with other building permits; or keep selectmen oversight but allow a designated permit-granting official to approve at short notice (similar to the town’s curb-cut permit approach). Committee members noted that some current bylaw language already allows occupied mobile homes on buildable lots while a house is being constructed (a six‑month permit with one six‑month extension, for a maximum of one year) and allows an unoccupied trailer for storage for up to 12 months.
The committee instructed staff to explore drafting language to clarify who may authorize emergency temporary occupancy and to put a revised proposal in the committee’s pipeline for a future town meeting (members suggested aiming for a June cycle). The item remains at the discussion stage; no formal motion to change the bylaw was made during the meeting.
