Select Board asks staff to draft formal guidance after first waiver requests under Acton’s fossil-fuel-free bylaw

The Acton Select Board on April 7 discussed how to handle waiver requests under the town’s fossil-fuel-free bylaw after the building commissioner reported the first applicant seeking relief. Board members heard from Building Commissioner Ed Mullen and residents and agreed staff should prepare written guidance and narrow criteria for waivers, with the expectation that most requests would be considered publicly by the Select Board.

Board members and staff framed the problem around two types of waiver requests: commercial (including restaurant kitchens) and residential (new construction and large renovations). Mullen said the first formal request received asked to replace a required induction cooktop in a new home with a gas cooktop because of the homeowner’s “traditional cooking habits” and cookware. He said the bylaw’s waiver language (chapter AC, section AC5) allows the building commissioner to grant…