Lakeville planning board withdraws fall ADU placeholder, will work with consultant on spring proposal

The Lakeville Planning Board discussed accessory dwelling unit (ADU) draft language and broader state housing changes and voted to withdraw the placeholder proposal for the fall town meeting, instead planning to develop a Lakeville-specific bylaw for submission in the spring with consultant support.

Board members compared ADU examples from Taunton, Freetown, Plymouth and Rehoboth and noted the town has approved "somewhere around" five to six ADUs in the last year. The Chair and members discussed that state legislation may permit duplexes by right and that the attorney general's office typically reviews zoning bylaw language; the Chair said such AG review can take about a year.

A committee member moved to "remove the placeholder for the fall ADU by law, with the intention that we, plan on submitting one for the spring meeting," the motion was seconded and the board voted in favor. The transcript uses inconsistent spellings when referring to the consultant (examples in the record include "CERPED," "SARPED" and "SERPED"); the board directed staff to pursue consultant assistance and any available funding to support drafting a Lakeville-tailored ADU bylaw.