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Planning Board debates reorganization of bylaw 4.9, tiny‑home rules and a separate workforce‑housing bylaw
Summary
Board members discussed reorganizing zoning bylaw section 4.9, problems with the state's SHI counting of deed‑restricted units, ambiguity in state tiny‑home regulations, and a proposal to craft a separate workforce‑housing bylaw; Paul said he will reorganize 4.9 and return with tracked changes at the Oct. 20 meeting.
The Planning Board spent a substantive portion of its Oct. 6 meeting on zoning and housing policy, focusing on reworking section 4.9 of the town bylaw, confusion around state tiny‑home rules and how the state counts affordable units for the Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI).
Paul told the board the RFP for a town planner update has been issued with a December deadline and said he will reorganize section 4.9 (formatting and headings first, then targeted tracked edits) for the board to review on Oct. 20. He described a procedural problem with the state SHI: "We have over a 150 units that have been approved over the last 20 years under our bylaw... that are not on the SHI list," Paul said, arguing that many units are effectively affordable but lack deed restrictions or have burdensome administrative requirements that keep them off the state count.
Board members and Paul discussed the state's Affordable Homes Act, Dennis' likely eligibility as a 'seasonal community,' and recent state tiny‑home legislation that remains unclear about movable tiny houses and where they must be allowed. Paul said municipalities can create reasonable local districts if the state requires tiny‑home allowances but that the state guidance to date is inconsistent.
A board member urged drafting a separate workforce‑housing bylaw rather than folding workforce requirements into 4.9. Paul and others discussed growth‑incentive zoning concepts (central park and recharge systems), transit and EV/Zipcar pilots, and a proposal to preserve and repurpose existing houses for affordable housing by working with Habitat for Humanity instead of permitting wholesale demolition.
Paul said he will circulate a hand‑drawn reorganization of 4.9 and follow up with a tracked‑changes draft so the board can consider both formatting and potential short‑term language changes at the Oct. 20 meeting.
