This is from the METROPOLITAN AREA PLANNING COUNCIL’s (MAPC) monthly newsletter that came today, and contains great information on accessory dwelling units (ADU). I think ADU’s make sense for Medfield as a way to both create the small housing units that are missing from our current housing stock, while also likely reducing our property taxes.
It would require a zoning change, but if implemented, it would add a lot of wealth to current home owners by effectively creating a new buildable lot on their existing property next to their home, all at little cost to the town because the owner builds the ADU. If the ADU’s are limited to a small enough size, they will not likely be suitable for families, so will mainly be occupied by single individuals or couples. However, ADU’s would increase density, so the town would need to decide whether it wants the increased density that the ADU’s would cause.
The ADU’s would be built by each property owner, so no cost there for the town to have the ADU’s appear. The town would just need to open the door to the ADU’s by changing our existing zoning.
https://living-little.mapc.org/
