Little Compton council adopts ordinance to allow temporary on‑farm worker housing, adds fire‑marshal inspections

The Little Compton Town Council voted to adopt an ordinance to allow temporary on‑farm housing for paid farmworkers and included planning‑board changes and a requirement that the fire marshal inspect units as part of the approval process. Councilors moved the ordinance following public comment from farmers and the planning board.

The measure, as discussed at the meeting, is intended to allow temporary structures such as RVs and similar units on qualifying farm properties for a limited season so seasonal workers can stay on site during critical harvest periods. Planning‑board members framed the draft as purely for “temporary housing, housing for farm labor. It doesn't address permanent farm housing,” as Carter Wilkie, a member of the planning board, said during public comment.

Supporters — including farmers who testified — said the rule is a pragmatic response to a local labor shortage. “We're only looking for 9 months,” said Skip Paul of Shanestown Farm, noting the ordinance is intended to permit paid farmworkers to stay on site through a season and that the units would be used by certified farm employees. Paul described practical safety measures the farms plan to follow, including septic service and building‑code compliance.

The planning board proposed several clarifications and limits. Its recommendations included a minimum farm income threshold to qualify, and a payroll‑certification requirement so that only paid farm employees could occupy the units. One planning‑board member noted the addition that temporary structures must meet applicable state and local health and safety codes. The planning board also recommended limiting temporary units on a property (the planning‑board language adopted at the meeting limited the number of temporary units to two).

Councilors debated setback language the planning board had added, which required temporary structures to meet a 25‑foot side‑yard setback and be located behind the rear line of an existing house. One councilor raised concern that the rule could effectively prohibit units on some smaller lots. The solicitor and planning board representatives clarified the intent was to keep units out of the front yard and the commons, not to bar legitimate farm uses where space exists.

Before the final vote the council amended the motion to add an inspection by the fire marshal in addition to review by the building official. Planning‑board member Sal Marinosi told the council that enforcement authority rests with the building official: “the building official has the authority to inspect, to stop, and that is that's the crux of it,” and that electrical and other safety standards must be met. The council then approved the ordinance with the planning‑board additions and the fire‑marshal inspection.

The ordinance as adopted was discussed repeatedly as a temporary, limited‑scope policy intended to be revisited if it did not work as intended. Several speakers urged the council also to pursue longer‑term strategies to support farm families — for example, allowing living space above farm work areas or using the agricultural conservancy trust to acquire properties with housing — but those longer‑term policy changes were not part of the ordinance that the council adopted.

The council did not specify the formal ordinance name or a codified citation in the meeting transcript; the motion recorded at the meeting asked the town solicitor to adopt the ordinance text with the planning‑board recommendations and the added fire‑marshal inspection requirement. The ordinance requires compliance with state and local health and safety codes and places enforcement authority with the building official and the fire marshal.

Ending: Council members and several farmers said they expect to monitor the pilot period and return to the council if changes are needed. The ordinance and the planning‑board clarifications will be posted with the town clerk's office and on the town website as part of the adopted record.