Council committee moves to adopt amended accessory-apartment zoning to align with state law

The Legal Affairs Committee on Feb. 25 recommended approval of petition 3-26 to replace Article 15 of the zoning ordinance on accessory apartments so it conforms with recently passed state law, adopting two committee amendments.

Glenn Eaton, executive director of the Monachus Regional Planning Commission, was introduced as the petitioner's representative. The committee discussed a pair of technical edits: deleting language that would have exempted detached single-family homes from a provision in the BB business district, and shortening an accessory-structure setback from 10 feet to 5 feet after subcommittee review. "At the subcommittee meeting we discussed and I think the group approved changing a 10 foot restriction to 5," one councilor summarized.

City Solicitor Attorney Riley told the committee the hearing could proceed despite an earlier snowstorm postponement because the notice and extraordinary circumstances complied with open-meeting requirements. After public notice that drew no substantive opposition, the committee voted to grant the petition as amended.

Why it matters: the amendment aligns Leominster's accessory-apartment rules with state law and clarifies zoning language that planning staff and the solicitor identified as conflicting with the table of uses.

Next steps: the recommended amended ordinance will proceed through the regular council process for final action and codification if the full council adopts the committee recommendation.