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Concord planning board leans toward 1,000-sq-ft ADU by-right cap and discusses parking approach
Summary
Board reviewed ADU permit data and voiced general support for raising the by-right ADU size from 900 to 1,000 sq ft to reduce special-permit reviews; members also discussed a multi-tiered parking zoning update that would prioritize residential parking changes and joint-parking options.
On Oct. 1 the Town of Concord Planning Board reviewed recent ADU permit activity and signaled support for amending the ADU bylaw to increase the by-right size from 900 square feet to 1,000 square feet, and discussed a staged approach to updating parking rules.
Elizabeth, the planning staffer, told the board she reviewed building-inspection and Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) logs dating to the ADU bylaw change and summarized counts and square-footage patterns. She said special permits were used for conversions requiring setback waivers and reported that a substantial minority of ADUs exceed 900 sq ft: "I noticed that 5 of them are over 900," a board member observed, and others estimated roughly one-third of ADUs were above 900. Board members said that moving the by-right cap to 1,000 sq ft would reduce the number of applications requiring board-of-appeals review without substantially changing housing diversity.
"I tend to favor a thousand just simply because it'll result in more units being built," the chair said. Several members (including Mark Giddings and Rob Almeida) said the data shows many ADUs are modest renovations over garages or in existing structures and that raising the cap will simplify the permit process without precipitating a surge of large new units.
Members also reviewed town council comments and minor housekeeping edits to bylaw language, a signed-bylaw typo (Elizabeth said the signed bylaw should read “addition” rather than “additional”) and pending FEMA floodplain map dates for Virginia Road. Town counsel and staff discussed changing site-plan rule timing from 90 to 120 days from application submission; counsel indicated that the 120-day measure would likely be acceptable.
Mark Giddings briefed the board on parking work: outreach to selectmen, the West Concord advisory committee and an economic vitality group, plus consultant work. He proposed a tiered approach that starts with residential parking reforms (template rules within transit areas), then joint-parking strategies and dimensional updates (parking-space sizes, landscape islands and layout changes). The board expects a draft residential parking proposal on Oct. 29 and a draft joint-parking concept for Nov. 12.
The board also heard that the Board of Appeals received an application for 30310 Baker Avenue that will likely require a planning-board recommendation; the proposal would modify an existing building entrance and add parking.
Procedural action: the board moved and seconded approval of the minutes from June 18, 2024; the roll-call vote was unanimous.
