Little Compton council agrees to advertise temporary farmworker housing ordinance for public hearing

The Little Compton Town Council voted to advertise a proposed temporary farmworker housing ordinance and scheduled a public hearing for the council meeting on April 24.

Council discussion centered on limiting the ordinance to seasonal employees working on farms, specifying documentation requirements, and placing the rule in the town building code rather than the zoning chapter.

Council member Gary Matarounis and Council member Andrew Anthony Morgan were cited repeatedly in debate praising farmers for bringing the proposal forward and urging prompt action so seasonal workers are accommodated during planting and harvest. The council and staff clarified that the ordinance is intended as a building-code measure (to be placed in chapter 7), not a zoning ordinance in chapter 14, and therefore would be administered under the town’s building-code processes. Solicitor comments (Mr. Solista) and staff highlighted that the draft requires documentary proof — for example, certified payroll filed with the building official — so that housing is used only for farm employees and not repurposed for short-term rentals or commercial lodging.

During the hearing, Planning Board input was noted: a planning board representative said the board is "very much in favor of this" and that the original draft included a setback requirement so temporary housing would not abut property lines directly.

Several council members and residents raised definitional questions: Larry Anderson asked whether the ordinance defines who qualifies as a farmer, noting past litigation and that the town’s zoning ordinance currently takes a broad approach to "agriculture." Council members acknowledged the ordinance does not comprehensively redefine agriculture or accessory farm uses; instead, they said it is a targeted measure to allow temporary housing only where farmers can show they employ seasonal workers who need on-site accommodations.

The draft ordinance includes limits described in the meeting: temporary farmworker housing would be restricted to nine months of occupancy and required to be vacant for three months thereafter; potable water, sanitation and building-code compliance are expressly required; and the ordinance would bar commercial use (including short-term rentals). The draft also uses the term "temporary farmworker housing unit" to list possible structure types while keeping the main definition focused on nonpermanent or temporary structures.

Council members moved to advertise the ordinance for the April 24 meeting and to hold a public hearing at that meeting; the motion carried. The council directed that the ordinance be posted in newspapers and on the town website prior to the hearing. No final adoption vote was taken at the meeting.

The council indicated staff and the building official will review documentation standards (for example, certified payroll and other paperwork "as approved by the building official") to reduce the risk of nonfarm uses claiming protection under the ordinance.