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Planning Board backs ADU bylaw clean‑up, debates 900‑ vs. 1,200‑sq‑ft cap
Summary
The planning board voted positive recommendations on several warrant articles (47–54) to align Nantucket’s zoning with the state’s new protected‑use ADU rules. Members debated whether to keep the state's 900‑sq‑ft limit or permit larger ADUs locally and sought clearer language for town meeting.
The Nantucket Planning Board on Jan. 29 recommended most of a multi‑article package that inserts the state’s protected‑use accessory dwelling unit (ADU) definition into town zoning and cleans a slate of related definitions and use‑chart entries.
Town counsel Amy Questle told the board the state statute and implementing regulations treat a “protected‑use ADU” as an ADU that is “900 square feet or half of the principal dwelling, whichever is smaller,” and that local bylaws must be reconciled with that language. Staff proposed a series of edits (articles 47–54) to remove older accessory‑dwelling language, merge gross‑floor‑area definitions, delete the tertiary‑dwelling term, and relocate certain commercial‑district uses into apartment density rules.
Why it matters: The state change grants property owners an as‑of‑right ADU in many single‑family zones, and the town’s edits are designed to preserve Nantucket’s preexisting limits on density and…
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