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Watertown planning panel approves streamlined permitting for in‑home day cares, lowers screening fence requirement
Summary
The Planning Commission approved ordinance 24‑24 on Dec. 19, 2024, creating an administrative, no‑fee approval path for in‑home day care providers who meet three standards and amending the screening rule from a 6‑foot to a 4‑foot requirement. Conditional‑use review remains for others.
The Watertown Planning Commission voted Dec. 19 to recommend ordinance 24‑24 — a broad Title 21 zoning update that separates day care homes into their own chapter and establishes a streamlined, administrative permitting route for in‑home day care providers who meet specified standards.
Under the change, providers who demonstrate 35 square feet of interior space per child, 50 square feet of outdoor play area per child and an exterior screening measure (previously a 6‑foot privacy fence) would be approved administratively by staff without a conditional‑use hearing or fee. The commission approved a motion to modify the ordinance so the screening standard reads 4 feet (instead of 6 feet) and so the parking requirement removes the word “adequate,” replacing it with an off‑street parking or other suitable loading/unloading plan.
Brandy (city planning staff), who led the presentation, said the zoning edits do not add new substantive standards but formalize an administrative path intended to reduce the time and cost of obtaining zoning approval. “This ordinance amendment was supposed to do was create a streamline process,” Brandy said, adding that most existing applicants — roughly 80% — already meet the listed criteria.
Several in‑home providers told the commission they were surprised by the reporting and worried about the cost and practical impact of the requirements. “When this came to light, like, 2 weeks ago, it was very concerning to ... many other providers that we were possibly gonna be out of a job,” Ashlyn Hartman, an in‑home provider, said in public comment, citing uncertainty over the fence and square‑footage rules.
Staff and commissioners emphasized the distinction between city permitting and state licensing; Brandy said state registration/licensure and city zoning are separate. The commission and staff also noted the ordinance is not yet in effect: after the commission’s recommendation it will go to City Council for public readings and final action. If approved by council, the ordinance will take effect after the statutory waiting period noted in the ordinance.
The commission and staff said enforcement will remain primarily complaint‑driven. Brandy noted applicants may use simple floor plans or GIS measurements for staff verification and that conditional‑use hearings remain available for providers who do not meet the administrative criteria. The commission’s vote carried following a roll call.
The ordinance packages also include wider zoning updates — new district summaries, a proposed residential storage district and clarified dwelling‑type uses — but the day care home administrative pathway drew the most public attention at the meeting.
