What does it do
It provides a small increase to the area and amenities that may be provided to new Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). It simplifies the process of constructing and obtaining occupancy permits for ADUs. It applies an effective cap to ADU rent charged by a non-occupying owner for a period of 15 years, with threat of revoking occupancy permit. The cap is 30% of a median income in this area.
What do I think
This might have a small positive impact on housing availability in Brookline. It removes some barriers to convincing the town you deserve an ADU and allows ADUs to be more practical without overturning structural impediments to rapid growth. This is limited in the amount of development that can happen on a given property and prevented from being monetized by investors seeking to do anything other than build houses that people want to buy and occupy. New construction might have weird incentives to prepare a space for one of these units to effectively extend the permitted construction by 40%. After 5 years, there are currently 3 ADUs in Brookline. If this passes and increases the prevalence of ADUs tenfold, there will be 30 more housing units in Brookline.
How will I vote and why
I'm for dense, open, heterogeneous spaces where shared resources like transit, parks, and commercial spaces thrive. This Article anticipates aesthetic objections and cabins in its scope so as not to offend, which will limit its efficacy, but it still reflects an improvement to the ADU guidelines. I'll support this Article.
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