Subcommittee debates 'cottage court' wording as state law narrows local options

Tira Panges, planning staff, opened the meeting by reading the proposed definition of a "cottage court" as "a group of small one or two‑story detached structures on an undivided lot arranged around a shared court or yard," and said the language is intended to align Thompson's regulations with Public Act 25‑1 and existing state statute CGS 8‑1a.

Commissioners questioned two draft elements: the parenthetical "one or two‑story" phrasing and the numeric range for units. Ray Williams pressed for a lower cap, saying the town should "cap it at four" rather than allowing larger groupings. Tira responded that PA251 defines middle housing forms as developments between two and nine units and that "nine is the cap," adding that a municipality cannot impose a lower upper limit than the statute requires.

The staff presented the legal comparison, noting CGS 8‑1a defines a cottage cluster as a grouping around a common open area and that PA251 uses "middle housing" to encompass two‑to‑nine unit forms. Commissioners agreed the term "cottage court" is friendlier than "cottage cluster," and asked staff to remove or retain the one/two‑story parenthetical as the subcommittee prefers.

Next steps: staff will update the draft language to make numeric ranges explicit (commissioners asked for three‑to‑nine units in Thompson because duplexes are treated with single‑family rules) and return with a revised definition for further review.

Quote: "Nine is the cap," Tira Panges said when explaining how PA251 limits the middle‑housing form.

Ending: The subcommittee did not vote on a final wording tonight; Tira will incorporate the agreed clarifications into the next draft and circulate it before the next meeting.