Douglas Planning Board Votes to Restore Accessory Apartment Rules Alongside ADU Bylaw Fix

DOUGLAS — December 10, 2025 — Douglas Planning Board votes to draft two separate bylaw articles restoring accessory apartment rules and correcting state-rejected ADU language for May 2026 town meeting. The board unanimously directed Town Planner John and Building Commissioner Ken Frazier to produce distinct warrant articles after Frazier argued that the town's 2024 ADU bylaw, adopted under a state February deadline, effectively eliminated a lower-burden option for residents housing family members — leaving 56 active accessory apartment holders in administrative limbo. Frazier described the cost gap bluntly: converting an attached in-law space to a compliant ADU can require fire separation from foundation to roof peak, two egresses, separate utility meters, a unique street address, and Title V septic review. The Attorney General rejected at least three provisions in the 2024 ADU bylaw, including a failure to allow ADUs in the village business district and overly restrictive height standards. The board also approved joining the town of Rutland on a Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission DLTA grant application for a zoning bylaw diagnostic, and voted to release three long-overlooked open space lots from the 2003 Hilltop Estates subdivision, clearing the way for their transfer to the state Department of Conservation and Recreation.