City officials await state’s guidelines on in-law apartments

Advocate Staff Report

The City’s Planning Board held a public hearing on the ordinance and state regulations for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), also known as in-law apartments, at their most recent meeting late last month. There were no proponents or opponents, just City Planner Frank Stringi discussing the changes with the board. In the ongoing attempt to ease the Commonwealth’s housing shortage, it now allows ADUs to be developed wherever single-family homes are allowed.

Chief of Planning and Community Development Tom Skwierawski introduced the new ADU rules at the last City Council meeting. He did not offer many details other than that ADUs were limited to 900 square feet or half the size of the house its built on. He said he wanted to wait until the state releases its official rules, which are due on March 11.

Neither residents nor councillors supported looser requirements for ADUs. One resident said allowing ADUs in people’s backyards would further diminish the quality of life in overdeveloped, overpopulated Revere. Ward 3 Councillor Anthony Cogliandro said the state was using too broad a brush and there should be distinctions that reflect individual city and town circumstances. Councillor-at-Large Michelle Kelley urged fellow councillors to challenge the state’s new rules.

Many ADUs are created out of finished basements, but Stringi provided some dimensional requirements for detached ADUs. They will be limited to 15 feet in height, with a 20-foot rear setback, 10-foot setbacks on either side and a 15-foot setback from the street. Also, an ADU cannot cover more than 25 percent of the yard it’s built in.

Stringi said there were not many lots in Revere with enough space for an ADU. “The intent was for more rural communities with larger lots,” he said. “In a densely populated area like Revere, it will be difficult to meet the standards.”

The other detail about the state’s ADU rules that raised Planning Board eyebrows was the parking requirement or lack thereof. An ADU does not require a dedicated parking space as long as it’s located a half mile from a bus stop or train station.

One board member asked if homeowners could appeal some of the requirements. Stringi said, like others, they can take their case to the Zoning Board of Appeals.