Accessory Dwelling Unit in Wetland Upland Review Area
At a glance
What: A preliminary discussion of whether a detached garage with an accessory dwelling unit above it could be built beside an existing house on Heather Glenn Lane, where a wetland lies behind the lot and the regulated upland review area is now 100 feet.
Where it stands: No application has been filed. Members gave informal feedback only and no vote was taken.
Next: The prospective applicants may apply for a permit if they choose; members called it a hard sell and said a soil scientist would be needed to mark the wetland edge.
Details
Staff found in the old subdivision file that the wetland edge is much closer than the Town's GIS layer suggests, and that the upland review area was 50 feet when the subdivision was approved and is 100 feet today, so most lots along the street fall within it.
The proposed building would be roughly 22 by 30 feet with a living unit above, detached from the house and sharing sewer and electric service. It would intrude into the review area by an estimated 10 feet or more.
Members said they could not guarantee a permit, worried about repeated small intrusions on properties approved under older standards and about precedent for neighbors, and said a site walk would not substitute for expert delineation.