By MAUREEN DOHERTY
NORTH READING — By now, every residence in town should have received in the mail a warrant booklet for the Special Town Meeting slated for Monday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. in the NRHS gymnasium. They were mailed last week and were due to arrive either Saturday, Jan. 11 or Monday, Jan. 13.
The Select Board called this meeting mainly to address the recently adopted state law allowing Accessory Dwelling Units by right in communities throughout the state that goes into effect on Feb. 2. The warrant has just seven articles for voters to consider, but because it is a Special Town Meeting, a quorum of 150 voters must be in attendance per the Town Charter.
Residents who wish to participate in this Special Town Meeting have until tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 17, at 5 p.m. to register to vote at the Town Clerk’s office in Town Hall or they may do so online by midnight Jan. 17 via the secretary of state’s website.
Under the provisions of the ADU law, communities have not been given the option by the state to opt-in or opt-out of it. However, communities have been given the option to modify the law so that it aligns with some of the community’s existing zoning bylaws, such as setbacks to these accessory dwelling units and parking provisions.
The amendments to the town’s zoning bylaws that were drafted by the Community Planning Commission (CPC) address these variables in an attempt to provide consistency throughout the town’s neighborhoods as well as guidance to the town’s Building Department, which will be charged with issuing these by-right permits to property owners wishing to create ADUs on their lots.
Under the state law, ADUs are allowed in all residential districts that allow single-family residences.
The CPC held a public hearing on its ADU proposal Jan. 7 and will address the changes to the Floodplain District, per FEMA alterations of the maps and other criteria, next Tuesday, Jan. 21. Passage of Article 3 on the warrant would ensure that the town’s property owners can continue to obtain flood insurance following these FEMA changes.
The CPC also drafted Article 2 on the warrant which seeks to amend the town’s zoning bylaws to prohibit short-term rentals that are less than 31 days in duration for both the principal dwelling unit and any accessory dwelling units on a property.
Both the CPC and the Select Board have voted to recommend passage of these articles. Recommendations from the Finance Committee will be made on town meeting floor.
Informational hearing on warrant Jan. 23
The public is invited to participate in the Select Board’s informational hearing on all seven warrant articles next Thursday, Jan. 23 at 7:15 p.m. The public will be invited to ask questions about any of the warrant articles. This meeting is being held in Room 14 at Town Hall and via Zoom.
The Select Board is also holding its regular meeting on Jan. 23 due to the MLK Jr. holiday falling on the regular meeting night.
With the acceptance of the actions taken by the town at last October’s Fall Town Meeting by the state Attorney General, the town can now go forward with the purchase of vote tabulating machines approved by the voters (see legal notice published elsewhere in today’s paper). It’s possible that the tabulators will be available for use, if needed, at this Special Town Meeting on Jan. 27. According to Town Administrator Michael Gilleberto, a representative from the company contracted by the town for this purchase is expected to attend next Thursday’s meeting to answer any questions that board members or the public may have about their use.
The remaining articles on the warrant are: Article 4: Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) Agreements for Renewable Energy Generation/Storage Facilities (sponsored by the Select Board), which would enable the town to generate some revenue when such facilities are built in town; Article 5: Prior Year Bills (currently, a bill for less than $200 that arrived after the close of FY24 on June 30); Article 6: Amend Fiscal Year 2025 Operating Budget (boilerplate article as no budget amendments are anticipated); Article 7: Amend Fiscal Year 2025 Capital Budget: (boilerplate article as no budget amendments are anticipated).