NAHANT — Board of Selectmen Chair Josh Antrim expressed his desire to see the Planning Board formulate official rules and regulations regarding Accessory Dwelling Units.
Earlier this month, the Commonwealth announced that after Feb. 2, 2025 zoning provisions for ADUs will become much less restrictive, allowing for them as of right in single-family zoning districts.
“As a town, we can pretend it didn’t happen and not do anything or we can prepare,” Antrim said. “If we don’t prepare, we have minimal say on how it’s imposed on us.”
Antrim said he advocated for creating zoning laws for the town that comply with the new state law to avoid turning Nahant into a “shanty town.”
“Whether or not we as individuals are happy with these state laws, I think not dealing with them is not fulfilling our responsibility to the town of Nahant,” Antrim said.
Planning Board member Michelle Capano spoke about her concern with the Board’s ability to effectively develop the guidelines for ADUs due to their disagreement with the law and the state’s way of making communities aware of the changes.
Capano argued that the communication has been effective from the state, and the town has had a sufficient amount of time to plan.
“We’re going to drag. Unfortunately, the board is divided and it will stay divided,” Capano said.
Antrim responded by saying that if the Planning Board cannot come to an agreement on how to approach the situation, the Board of Selectmen will take the lead on developing rules and regulations.
