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Yarmouth committee reviews state zoning changes: duplexes and some multifamily conversions could be allowed by right
Summary
Committee members reviewed proposed amendments to MGL ch. 40A that would allow duplexes on single-family lots and create pathways for commercial-to-multifamily conversions and tenant protections; members noted potential conflicts with local site-plan-review practices and flagged follow-up with town planning.
Committee members spent substantial time reviewing proposed state amendments to the zoning act (MGL ch. 40A) and how those changes might alter local review and permitting.
"So you can build a duplex on any lot in Massachusetts," a committee member said while summarizing the state changes that would allow some two-family construction by right. Members discussed a range of provisions that would make certain multifamily conversions easier — including an opt-in approach for commercial-to-residential conversions — and noted the state has codified site-plan-review language that could differ from the town's current procedures.
The committee also discussed tenant protections tied to some conversions: one member described a tenant right-of-first-refusal process for multifamily buildings up for sale, in which tenants would need to form an association and could work with state financing resources to preserve affordability rather than converting units to condominiums. Members flagged several implementation questions, including how the town's site-plan review and special-permit processes would be reconciled with the state's new language.
