Committee discusses rezoning grant, ADU restrictions and zoning code updates to boost housing supply

Committee members discussed a city rezoning grant and how local zoning rules constrain small-scale housing production in Hudson.

The presenter said the city received a rezoning grant and intends to form a steering committee to guide zoning updates. Members noted that the current zoning code—dating in places to the 1960s–1970s—imposes lot and green‑space requirements and often does not permit additional dwelling units (ADUs), effectively preventing modest infill projects such as garage conversions and carriage-house apartments that match Hudson’s historic pattern.

Kelly Severson (named in the transcript) described the ADU restriction directly: “you can't have additional dwelling units, so… if you wanted to build an additional dwelling unit… that's not allowed in our zoning.” Members said historic-preservation review and some preservation-related rules can complicate affordable-housing development if they are applied strictly to proposed affordable units.

Speakers framed the zoning update as an area where the advisory committee can provide input without significant expenditure: making zoning rules more understandable and tangible for residents, identifying specific zoning barriers, and recommending targeted updates (for example, an affordable-housing overlay or form‑based code options) as part of the rezoning effort. Staff and members agreed to help make outreach less jargony so residents can weigh in on changes that affect how the city is built.