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| By Courtney Llewellyn Reminder Assistant Editor EAST LONGMEADOW The Planning Board has been busy lately, cleaning up and clarifying the language of the home-based trade bylaw, which is set to have its first public hearing on March 11. Home-based businesses aren't the only thing residents of East Longmeadow are concerned about, however. Robyn MacDonald, Planning, Zoning and Conservation director, brought up the topic of allowing accessory, or "in-law," apartments for discussion. "There have been a lot of requests for in-law apartments," MacDonald told the members of the Planning Board at their Feb. 19 meeting. "The town is being considered 'harsh' on the subject." She explained that East Longmeadow basically has the same limits the town of Wilbraham has on the accessory apartments, limiting the number of bedrooms and people living in a home. The proposed bylaw change allowing apartments would call for homeowners to dismantle the apartment if they move. It would also limit the size of the apartment to 700 square feet. "This is along the same lines as the home-based business trade," Planning Board Vice-Chair Tom Morrissette said. "Not a lot of people are following the rules, so we need to create a rule." Chair Marilyn Richards agreed. "Residents will have a fear of seeing two-family homes on every lot, just like seeing a business on every lot." She added that she's heard of apartments currently existing in basements, which present an unsafe situation, having only one route of egress in case of an emergency. "We need to focus on what's driving the need for these unique living situations," Richards stated. "People want to keep their independence." Peter Punderson, Planning Board clerk, said his biggest concern is about people renting out the apartments and not using them specifically for family members. "It wouldn't just be older couples," member Donald Anderson said. "It could be kids coming out of college as well." Richards said affidavits would need to be signed annually to assure only family members would be living in the apartments, but "the opportunity to cheat" would still exist. Morrissette said he believed the board needed to study this issue a little bit longer before making a decision on the bylaw. "We need to see what people think before we go any further," he said. "Sometime after the spring elections, the board wants to host a public hearing," MacDonald told Reminder Publications. "Quite a few people have asked about the possibility of in-law apartments, either building them as part of new homes or adding them onto existing homes." She said this drive for accessory apartments comes mostly from children who want to take care of their aging boomer parents. "I'm personally in favor of this because if children are willing and able to take care of their parents, they should be able to do so," MacDonald stated. |