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Town staff proposes setback standard for single‑family homes in Main Street District; public hearing set for Tuesday
Summary
A proposed text amendment would require single‑family detached homes built in Spencer’s Main Street (MS) District to meet RMST dimensional standards (42‑ft lot width; 5,000 sq. ft. minimum lot; 12‑ft front, 4‑ft side/rear setbacks). Staff will present the amendment at Tuesday’s public hearing; no public speakers signed up at the pre‑agenda meeting.
Town staff introduced a proposed text amendment to the Spencer Development Ordinance on Aug. 8 that would change how single‑family detached homes are regulated in the Main Street (MS) zoning district.
Mr. Blunt outlined the proposal and the rationale: to preserve downtown building forms and avoid small single‑family homes built without minimum setbacks and lot width that can be squeezed up to property lines. “The MS District…allows residential,” Mr. Blunt said, but he warned single‑family detached homes in MS could be built with no effective side or front setbacks unless standards are applied. He proposed adding language in the MS dimensional footnotes that would require single‑family detached homes to follow RMST dimensional standards (a 42‑foot minimum lot width, 5,000 square‑foot minimum lot area, a 12‑foot front setback and 4‑foot side and rear setbacks).
Mr. Blunt said the RMST standard is already used successfully on nearby small‑lot residential streets and that applying the same setbacks in MS for detached homes would maintain a downtown character while allowing residential development where appropriate. He recommended the board consider the amendment at the regular Tuesday meeting when the public hearing will be formally held.
A board member asked whether townhouses under RMST could be as narrow as 16 feet. Mr. Blunt confirmed RMST permits a minimum 16‑foot width for townhouses and said a 5,000‑square‑foot lot minimum would still apply to detached single‑family homes under the proposed change.
No members of the public were signed up at the pre‑agenda meeting and staff reported no written correspondence on the item; the board closed the preliminary public hearing so the full hearing and deliberation may proceed at Tuesday’s meeting.
