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Brentwood planning board settles on ADU limits, readies multiple public hearings for Jan. 8
Summary
The Brentwood Town Planning Board agreed to present accessory-dwelling-unit (ADU) language at a Jan. 8 public hearing, keeping a roughly 1,100-square-foot footprint cap to preserve the 'accessory' intent while removing ambiguous "encouraged" phrasing from notices; multiple ordinance revisions will be publicly noticed.
The Brentwood Town Planning Board on Monday agreed to forward proposed ordinance edits — including an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) rule that preserves ADUs as subsidiary to the primary home — to a public hearing set for Jan. 8.
Board members spent the meeting debating measurement and scope for ADUs, repeatedly emphasizing the intent that an ADU remain "accessory," not a second primary house. Members settled on presenting language that treats the 1,100-square-foot figure as a footprint guideline (rather than only livable area), and agreed that attached garages should generally be excluded from the living-area calculation though guidelines will be drafted to prevent oversized garage-plus-unit combinations.
The board discussed language drawn from Stratham and state statute; Glenn (board counsel/planning advisor) noted the state formula includes awkward "attached/detached" phrasing that must be reproduced in notices. Several members urged removing the subjective term "encouraged" from the town’s notice language so the town is not perceived as endorsing a policy position beyond the statute. Members asked staff to provide clearer dimensions and examples so voters understand how footprint, porches and storage are counted.
Members also agreed to post legally sufficient public notices for multiple ordinance items — ADUs, workforce housing, commercial/multifamily rules and accessory use revisions — for the Jan. 8 hearing, with full ordinance text to follow as soon as it is formatted for public viewing. Mark (town staff) will publish the short, required descriptions now and add the full text when ready.
Board members said foundation-certification and surveyor requirements remain part of the town’s checks for development, and noted that permitting details such as whether the building inspector or select board signs permits will be covered in separate discussion. The board encouraged residents to review posted notices and attend the Jan. 8 hearing for fuller debate.
The board concluded the ADU discussion by directing staff to incorporate clearer footprint definitions, provide dimensional examples (including a 24-by-30 and 30-by-30 footprint comparison raised in the meeting) and to keep the ADU language focused on affordability and accessory intent. The draft will be presented at the hearing for public comment and final action by the board.
