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Commission weighs ADU outreach, preapproved plans and prefab options to expand housing
Summary
New London’s Housing Commission discussed an ADU communications plan that could include preapproved ADU model lists and prefabricated options, but members flagged septic, setback and survey constraints and agreed to consult the planning board before advancing recommendations.
NEW LONDON — The New London Housing Commission spent a substantial portion of its meeting discussing an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) communications plan and whether preapproved or prefabricated ADU models could help increase housing stock.
Chair (S2) introduced the idea of a shorter, two‑page ADU brochure and raised a New York Times article and Danville, California’s preapproved ADU‑plan program as examples of ways to speed permitting by offering turnkey plans. “Pre‑approved plans can help cut housing prices because time is money to developers,” the chair said while proposing the commission consider what might work locally.
A staff member described the Danville approach: the town approved a set of ADU designs from builders so homeowners could choose pre‑reviewed plans and speed construction. Commissioners saw benefits in preapproved and prefabricated ADUs but repeatedly cautioned that New London faces practical constraints that limit direct translation of that model.
Members emphasized three constraints: septic design and state Department of Environmental Services (DES) requirements for waterfront or shore‑adjacent lots; the need for individual lot surveys and setback calculations; and differing local building‑code inspection regimes for single‑ and two‑family structures. Those constraints, members said, make a full townwide preapproval program more complicated here than in places with uniform sewer and water infrastructure.
The commission agreed on an intermediate approach: rather than endorsing vendors, the Housing Commission could assemble a neutral resource list of designs and vendors that commissioners and staff have vetted informally. Members stressed the list should not steer business to a single provider and should be presented as informational only.
Why it matters: Commissioners said lowering barriers to ADU construction could add smaller, more affordable units to the local housing stock but that technical, regulatory and fairness considerations require cautious, coordinated work with the planning board.
What’s next: Staff will share the ADU communications idea and possible program concepts with the planning board and await the selectboard’s committee appointments. The commission also volunteered members to research prefab vendors and to follow up if the planning board supports further action.
