Accessory Dwelling Unit Discussion Comes To Beverly

BEVERLY, MA — The debate over accessory dwelling units is coming to Beverly.

The city will host a virtual public forum to discuss the so-called "in-law apartments" Thursday night in association with Massachusetts Area Planning Council.

"The city of Beverly is working with the MAPC to modify how accessory dwelling units are allowed within the city," the city said. "Join us for a public, online forum to learn about ADUs and lend your thoughts on how Beverly should move forward."

While many cities see ADUs as a way to create affordable housing without new construction, others view it as potentially adding more congestion, traffic and parking concerns to already-crowded neighborhoods.

That battle recently played out over years in Salem where Mayor Kim Driscoll's push for ADUs annually met a roadblock in the City Council. While ADU proposals passed, they did not clear the two-thirds "supermajority" needed to change a zoning bylaw. However, when Gov. Charlie Baker's 2020 state order lowered the threshold to a simple majority to change the bylaw, the ADU proposal finally passed in Salem.

ADUs are typically portions of larger homes that are broken off into small apartments for rent — similar to in-law apartments.

Communities that allow ADUs often require they are offered at below-market rates.

Those in favor of them say they allow younger people to afford a first apartment in the city where they grew up or now live, and can allow older residents the chance to stay in a home they have owned for many years but now may no longer require the space of a full house.

But opponents worry that adding apartments to areas of single-family homes adds more cars and traffic to residential neighborhoods and can alter the character of those neighborhoods.

A link to register for the 7 p.m. Zoom forum can be found here.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)