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Commission debates ADU size limits at 219 Moose Hill Road; application tabled pending enforceable conditions
Summary
Applicant Basil Zovolos sought permission to convert 775 sq ft of a barn into an accessory dwelling unit (ADU). Commissioners debated whether an attached unfinished storage area should count toward the ADU’s permitted 800‑sq‑ft cap; the commission tabled the application to allow staff/attorney to draft conditions limiting finished area and enforcement measures.
Basil Zovolos presented an application (C‑24‑106219) to convert 775 square feet of an existing barn at 219 Moose Hill Road into an accessory dwelling unit (ADU).
Zovolos explained the proposed layout and noted an attached unfinished storage area accessible from inside the unit. Several commissioners expressed concern that the interior storage area (estimated roughly 240–260 sq ft by some commissioners) could later be finished and would push the ADU over the town’s 800‑sq‑ft limit. One commissioner called the possibility a "slippery slope" and asked how the commission could write conditions to prevent future conversion without reapproval; other commissioners argued the right approach is to approve now with strict conditions and a certificate of zoning compliance enforced by the building official.
Commissioners discussed options including requiring a separate outside entrance, placing a condition that the storage area remain unfinished and unoccupied, and having legal staff prepare binding language that limits the ADU’s finished area and sets enforcement steps if the dwelling is altered. The commission voted to table application Z‑24‑106219 to allow staff and the commission’s attorney to draft enforceable conditions that would ensure the approved living area remains within the permitted size.
