Somerville Infill and Small Developments
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Dr. Rosen Rosen
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Apparently there’s a loophole in the new Somerville code that allows for mini three-decker ADUs to be built in the back yards of properties with an existing three decker building.
www.bostonglobe.com
From the article:
“The parts of Somerville that are zoned for single-family homes are also zoned for duplexes, as well as the beloved triple-deckers. In other words, if there’s a triple-decker on a Somerville lot, then theoretically, a triple-decker ADU has to be allowed.
At first, I thought it was a joke. This is crazy. No one would ever do this,” Ewen-Campen said. “But [city staff] said they think people might.”
No one has yet built one of these tall-and-tiny homes in Somerville or anywhere else.
If anyone did, it would wind up looking pretty bizarre. To reiterate, state regulations would require it be no more than 900 square feet. So the floors in such a building would have to be very small, perhaps preposterously so. Under one configuration, imagine three floors each just 15 feet by 20 — including room for staircases.
Importantly, those floors cannot be split into individual apartments; the whole building would have to belong to an individual, family, or roommates making their way up and down tall, and likely very skinny houses.
“Anytime you come out with something new, people are going to look for loopholes and ways to exploit it. That’s certainly happening here,” Somerville Mayor Jake Wilson said in an interview. “We need to get this right and make sure that we’re ending up with zoning that actually makes sense for our city and leads to the kind of outcomes that we’re looking for, which I would say would not be gigantic houses in people’s backyards.
Wilson, otherwise a staunch supporter of accessory units, blames Somerville’s predicament on its suburban neighbors that have gone to extraordinary lengths to avoid state housing mandates. If those communities would just play ball and let new homes get built, the state’s rules wouldn’t need to be so uncompromising, Wilson said. And they wouldn’t saddle cities that are already building housing with mandates they say are flat-out goofy.“
This is from Mass.gov website:
Somerville loves its triple-deckers. But a new state law may have them wondering how many are too many. - The Boston Globe
A triple-decker, behind a triple-decker? A new state housing law raises questions in Somerville.
www.bostonglobe.com
From the article:
“The parts of Somerville that are zoned for single-family homes are also zoned for duplexes, as well as the beloved triple-deckers. In other words, if there’s a triple-decker on a Somerville lot, then theoretically, a triple-decker ADU has to be allowed.
At first, I thought it was a joke. This is crazy. No one would ever do this,” Ewen-Campen said. “But [city staff] said they think people might.”
No one has yet built one of these tall-and-tiny homes in Somerville or anywhere else.
If anyone did, it would wind up looking pretty bizarre. To reiterate, state regulations would require it be no more than 900 square feet. So the floors in such a building would have to be very small, perhaps preposterously so. Under one configuration, imagine three floors each just 15 feet by 20 — including room for staircases.
Importantly, those floors cannot be split into individual apartments; the whole building would have to belong to an individual, family, or roommates making their way up and down tall, and likely very skinny houses.
“Anytime you come out with something new, people are going to look for loopholes and ways to exploit it. That’s certainly happening here,” Somerville Mayor Jake Wilson said in an interview. “We need to get this right and make sure that we’re ending up with zoning that actually makes sense for our city and leads to the kind of outcomes that we’re looking for, which I would say would not be gigantic houses in people’s backyards.
Wilson, otherwise a staunch supporter of accessory units, blames Somerville’s predicament on its suburban neighbors that have gone to extraordinary lengths to avoid state housing mandates. If those communities would just play ball and let new homes get built, the state’s rules wouldn’t need to be so uncompromising, Wilson said. And they wouldn’t saddle cities that are already building housing with mandates they say are flat-out goofy.“
This is from Mass.gov website:
Not so much Somerville code - but- a requirement imposed by the state - if I read the article correctly.
I happen to think that a triple decker ADU behind a triple decker sounds perfectly fine. I would prefer a 8, 10, or 12 unit brick building instead for that size, but, if that's what the land owner wants to do, I don't see any reason why not to allow it.
I happen to think that a triple decker ADU behind a triple decker sounds perfectly fine. I would prefer a 8, 10, or 12 unit brick building instead for that size, but, if that's what the land owner wants to do, I don't see any reason why not to allow it.
Would the ADU also be a 3 family or just 3 floors?
I see many triple deckers behind triple deckers in Cambridge.
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I see many triple deckers behind triple deckers in Cambridge.
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JeffDowntown
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As noted above, the ADU are tiny -- 900 sq. ft. max. So a very strange, three-level, single family unit.Would the ADU also be a 3 family or just 3 floors?
I see many triple deckers behind triple deckers in Cambridge.
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Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.Google Maps
Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.Google Maps
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RandomWalk
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With a ridiculous amount of the floor plate dedicated to the stairs.
BronsonShore
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Would the ADU also be a 3 family or just 3 floors?
I see many triple deckers behind triple deckers in Cambridge.
Google Maps
Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.Google Maps
Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.Google Maps
Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.Google Maps
Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
One of my favorite parts of Cambridge's built environment is the prevalence of "hidden buildings" like this that contribute to the city's feeling of a dense Euro-style village center.
I really don't think this would look as strange as the people quoted in that piece think. And in light of the fact that not a single example of this has yet been built in Somerville, what a strange article.
RandomWalk
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Sampler going up on the site of the affordable housing project at the corner of Medford and Walnut.