In Plymouth, a forum, on the 13th, about accessory dwelling units, or ADU’s was held by the Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce. Town Meeting recently approved allowing ADU’s, as of right, meaning a homeowner can build a small house in the backyard or an addition to their house, without going to the Planning or Zoning Board for approval. There are some restrictions: the new bylaw requires either the house or the ADU be owner occupied and neither can be used for short term rental.
WATD’s Bobbi Clark has more.
Planning Board Chairman Steve Bolotin says as of right means…
“…that if you meet the criteria set forth in the new zoning bylaw you don’t need a special permit—so you don’t have to come before the Planning Board or the Zoning Board of Appeals, but rather you go straight to the Building Department, prepare your application and build something—just the way you would any normal house.”
And Bolotin says the criteria for this bylaw is…
“…that you have to fall within the same zoning as if you were building a house. You will meet all the same requirements. You have the side set-back requirements—the front space requirements, all of the septic requirements, the parking requirements. The requirement is simply that you can build no more than 900 square feet.”
Builder Kevin Hood was on hand to talk about the average cost of building
such a unit:
“We’ve been running numbers on one bedroom and two bedroom units. They’re going to be running anywhere from three hundred fifteen thousand dollars up as high as four fifty, depending on the finish that you want inside that little square footage of 900 square feet.
Hood adds that certain regulations apply concerning short term rentals:
“Because of the rules they can’t be Vrbo or Airbnb. Vrbo, Airbnb are people that are short term renters. So if people want to rent for one night, two nights a week—that is not allowed.
In Plymouth, Bobbi Clark, WATD News.
