SOUTHWICK — The Planning Board had been drafting a new bylaw mandated by the state that will allow, by right, the building of a what is often called a mother-in-law suite or accessory dwelling unit in zoning districts that allow single-family home construction, but there were no provisions for allowing ADUs in other zoning districts like Agriculture/Conservation or Industrial Restricted.
“Do we want to extend a pathway for them to apply for a special permit?” said Board member and chair Jessica Ann Thornton when discussing the draft of the bylaw and how it relates to homes outside traditional Residential zoning districts that would like to build an ADU on their property.
Board member David Spina responded that he couldn’t see a reason why homeowners in nonconforming districts shouldn’t allowed to.
