Ashford staff to draft zoning text for middle housing' after state law requires summary review

Zoning Enforcement Officer Mike Damato briefed the Ashford Planning & Zoning Commission on state-mandated changes to allow smaller-scale multiunit housing in commercial and mixed-use zones under Special Session Act 25-1 and presented a prescriptive, form-based template for a required "summary review" process.

Mike explained the statute requires municipalities to allow developments of at least two and no more than nine units in specified zones by a nondiscretionary review that excludes public hearings and subjective standards. He recommended folding the statute's definitions into a single local category called "middle housing" and applying the summary-review procedure only in commercial or mixed-use zones (not industrial or residential zones that make up most of Ashford).

The draft template Mike showed includes: a clear applicability table for eligible zones; required application materials (site plans, building elevations, stormwater compliance); prescriptive building-materials and facade standards (e.g., natural, durable materials for 80% of a façade); roof-type guidance (discouraging flat roofs); building modulation and fenestration standards; landscape and lighting specifications (dark-sky-compliant full cut-off fixtures and limits on light trespass); a suggested on-site green-space minimum of 500 square feet per unit; and examples of permitted building types (duplexes, triplexes, multiplexes, cottage clusters and conversions of commercial buildings to residential use).

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about applicability (Nord raised where such units would fit given Ashford's largely residential-agricultural zoning) and whether standards apply to retrofits as well as new construction. Mike said the statute applies to qualifying proposals regardless of whether they are retrofits or new builds, but that many existing buildings are pre-existing nonconforming structures and only proposed changes would trigger the new-design standards.

Several commissioners supported the prescriptive approach, saying a clear, high-standard initial draft gives the town more control and can be relaxed later if it proves too restrictive. The commission gave staff the green light to insert Ashford-specific dimensional and design standards into the template and return with a public-draft for further review.