Members of the Town of Danvers Planning Board and several residents spent a substantial portion of the Feb. 25 meeting discussing the town’s draft housing production plan and how a newly passed state accessory dwelling unit (ADU) law will affect local policy.

Town staff said the housing production plan (latest draft dated Dec. 17, 2024) is posted on the town website and likely will be discussed at the March 11 Planning Board meeting, with a subsequent meeting to consider a vote. Planning staff asked board members to review the draft and submit comments in advance.

Residents and board members raised repeated questions about how the ADU law interacts with Danvers’ existing extended-family living arrangements (referred to in town materials as EFLAs), how ADUs will be counted toward housing targets, and how the town will track and inspect internal or detached units. Several speakers expressed concern about the potential for increased household counts, traffic, parking, and school impacts if many homeowners create ADUs.

Town staff summarized aspects of the state law as they understood them in the meeting: ADUs are allowed as a matter of right in single‑family residential districts (R1, R2, R3) when no more than 900 square feet (or half the gross floor area, whichever is smaller) and when dimensional requirements are met; municipalities may adopt regulations addressing site plan review, septic (Title 5), and dimensional standards but may not restrict ADUs where the state law applies. Staff also said the town is drafting local regulations and expects to coordinate with Town Counsel and the Board of Health on implementation and inspection protocols.

Public commenters included Jim Moroz, Lauren Steves, Lois Mackenzie and John Bouchard, who asked about title-restricted properties, whether ADUs require separate utilities, whether ADUs would be counted on the Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI), and how the town would discover conversions that do not trigger a building permit. Staff and board members acknowledged the state law sets a baseline and that local regulations and a public process will be needed to reconcile existing EFLA rules and to establish inspection and permitting procedures.

Why it matters: Danvers faces a state requirement and a local housing goal; how ADUs and other recommendations in the housing production plan are counted and regulated could affect the town’s strategy for meeting affordable‑housing benchmarks and for preserving neighborhood character.

Next steps: The planning office will circulate the housing production plan packet and expect to discuss it at the March 11 meeting. Staff said they will coordinate with Town Counsel and present options for local regulations and potential zoning amendments if the board wishes to pursue them.