Trust reviews zoning changes and ADU package headed to town meeting

Deputy Director of Planning Megan Trudeell told the Affordable Housing Trust on April 7 that a set of town-meeting warrant articles would change how the town defines and regulates apartment buildings, accessory dwelling units and related dwelling types.

"This is our current definition of apartment building," Megan said as she opened the presentation on Article 43, which would insert new language to allow additional bedrooms provided the entire building is placed on the state eligibility list Megan referenced. She said the changes aim to give developers flexibility while ensuring compliance with the state-mandated definitions.

Why it matters: the package (Articles 47–54 and related items) is designed to bring Nantucket into compliance with state rules while protecting local density allowances and preserving pathways for community land trusts and other ownership models. Megan explained Article 48 would insert the state definition of a protected-use ADU and carve out an explicit exemption where the underlying property is owned by a community land trust, allowing separate ownership of multiple dwelling units on a single parcel.

Trust members asked technical questions about enforcement, bedroom counts, and special-permit waivers. Board member Brook Moore asked how enforcement has worked in places that already use the model; Megan said she would consult with the vendor and return with details. On bedroom limits for workforce or dormitory-style housing, Megan said flexibility can be provided through special permits.

Megan also described other changes: removing the separate definition for "garage apartment" as duplicative, incorporating some tertiary-dwelling provisions into a revised "second dwelling" definition, and modifying density calculations in certain commercial-residential districts.

The trust pressed for clarity on whether protected-use ADUs must be held in the same ownership as the principal dwelling in the absence of a land-trust exemption; Megan confirmed they must be the same unless owned by a community land trust. Members also noted that some districts retain residential allowances via apartment-building pathways rather than ADU allowances.

The presentation concluded with procedural questions about special-permit voting thresholds (Megan said most special permits require a supermajority) and an agreement that staff would follow up with written clarifications and examples before town meeting.