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Planning Board reviews draft tiny-house standards; staff to contact Gonzalez applicants
Summary
At a Nov. 20 Planning Board meeting, members outlined draft rules allowing stand-alone tiny homes up to 900 sq ft, utility and siting requirements, and directed the building inspector to contact Mr. and Mrs. Gonzalez about their application; code language remains in final review.
The Planning Board on Nov. 20 reviewed draft rules for stand-alone tiny houses and directed staff to follow up with applicants Mr. and Mrs. Gonzalez.
Town Supervisor Dave Scott said he would advise Building Inspector Rick Carroll to reach out or email Lauren (contact given in the record as lrgonzalez62583@hotmail.com) by December to follow up on the Gonzalez family's tiny-home inquiry; Scott noted the code language is still in its final stage. Planning Board members listed as attendees were Brad Taber, Sherry Habbershaw, Dom Spaccio and Amanda Gulini.
The draft standards discussed state that tiny houses may be used as permanent, stand-alone dwellings and must not be on a trailer or chassis. The draft sets no minimum square footage but caps units at 900 square feet. It specifies that a tiny house should consist of one bedroom; units with two or more bedrooms would instead need to meet the standard single-family minimum of 900 sq ft.
The board reviewed related requirements: a building permit is required; sewer and water must be served by a public system (units without public utilities would be treated under the temporary-residence/campers code); only one tiny-house unit is permitted per parcel of two acres unless a special variance is granted; tiny houses cannot be located in front of the primary residence and must be placed to the side or rear; if sited close to the main home the exterior appearance should match the primary dwelling; and each unit must have an external entrance separate from the single-family dwelling.
No formal vote or ordinance adoption was recorded in the meeting minutes provided. The board scheduled its next meeting for Jan. 15, 2025. The record indicates staff follow-up is expected for the Gonzalez applicants but does not specify a formal approval timeline or a date for final adoption of the code changes.
