Sandwich ADU Public Hearing

PLEASE NOTE THIS HEARING HAS BEEN MOVED FROM 3/17 TO 4/21 DUE TO COVID-19 STATE OF EMERGENCY. 

The town is considering a way to make it easier for our young workforce and seniors to live in town by simplifying the ability to create more small year-round housing. 

On Tuesday, April 21st at 7pm, the Planning Board is holding a required Public Hearing on an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) bylaw. The proposal will allow more housing to be built for year-rounders without developing more land and overburdening our town. We need your voice to ensure the bylaw has a lot of support going into Town Meeting.

Will you attend as a resident of Sandwich and tell the Planning Board you support the bylaw as written? (See the draft.) All you have to do is come and voice your support. *Note, this is a public meeting of town government, not a ticketed event. You DO NOT need to make any sort of reservation. However, filling out this form helps us keep in contact with you with reminders about the hearing and Town Meeting. You can also write the Planning Board if you can't make it (but in-person is more powerful) 

Why support ADUs?

Sandwich has a drastic shortage of 1-2 bedroom units that the backbone of our economy need in order to afford to live here. ADUs will increase the supply of available market rate units without developing more land, harming water quality, or ruining the character of our community. 

At the same time, baby boomers are increasingly trying to age-in-place. Staying in the homes they’ve lived in for decades can be made easier by the addition of an ADU for them to house a CNA or relative to care for them, or just to rent to a young person who can keep an eye on them and supplement their retirement income.

Lastly, this bylaw change affirms property rights for homeowners, simplifying the process so it is similar to any other addition. 

What are ADUs?

An Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) is more commonly referred to as an in-law suite, a garage apartment, or a carriage house. These units are part of the fabric of how Cape Cod was developed, but over time it's become more difficult to build and rent an ADU than a to build a similar addition and rent the home seasonally. 

ADUs are nitrogen (wastewater) flow and people neutral, meaning there's no more bedrooms or people than are allowed today and they have to comply with existing setback, lot coverage, and other town requirements.