Planning board keeps ADU maximum at 1,000 square feet; adds transit-related parking exemption language
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Summary
The board reviewed Article 27 (accessory dwelling units), accepted a recommended clause exempting parking near transit but decided to retain a 1,000-square-foot ADU maximum rather than reduce it to 900.
On May 22, 2025, the Hubbardston Planning Board reviewed Article 27, the accessory dwelling unit (ADU) bylaw, and agreed to retain a maximum ADU size of 1,000 square feet in the town draft while accepting a technical amendment to address parking near transit.
The change matters because state ADU rules were discussed during the drafting; the Commonwealth’s definition protects ADUs up to 900 square feet, and the planning board considered whether to match that threshold. The board also considered a parking exemption for ADUs near transit to avoid unnecessary parking requirements.
Alec Wade, town planner, described language proposed by legal counsel that would amend section 2.6 to add a sentence: if an ADU or any portion of the lot is within a half-mile of a transit or bus station, no additional parking space shall be required for the ADU. Wade recommended the board accept that revision. “I recommend the board accept this revision. It simply states the unstated part of the section,” Wade said. The board voted by consensus to include the transit-proximity parking exemption wording.
Carolyn Murray (KP Law) had recommended reducing the ADU maximum from 1,000 square feet to 900 square feet to conform with state protections; Wade and the chair argued the board’s intent was to allow up to 1,000 square feet as a less-restrictive standard and that the Attorney General could modify that size when reviewing the bylaw. “I think what would happen here is that the attorney general may simply reduce your 1,000 square feet to 900 square feet,” Wade said. After discussion, the board agreed to retain 1,000 square feet rather than preemptively lowering it.
The board also confirmed previous edits removing language that would have allowed ADUs on an adjacent lot under common ownership; that provision was struck in the board’s revised draft. No formal roll-call vote was recorded; the transcript records consensus among members to keep the 1,000-square-foot maximum and to accept the parking exemption language.
Next steps: staff will incorporate the accepted edits into the draft and forward the corrected version to legal counsel for final review before it is placed on the Town Meeting warrant.