Madison Discusses Loosening Regulations on Accessory Apartments

MADISON, CT - Town officials are in discussions about increasing the amount of square feet that can be utilized to house accessory apartments in town in an effort to address the issue of housing affordability in Madison.

Currently, the top level of square feet that can house an accessory apartment in Madison is 800 square feet.

At a recent Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, Director of Planning and Economic Development David Anderson stated that there has been some ongoing discussion with property owners who are interested in accessory apartments, and they believe the 800 square foot requirement is too restrictive.

An area of interest to considerwould be utilizing accessory apartments to address affordability of the housing stock in town, according to Anderson.

The 800 square foot requirement is being seen as too restrictive, and Anderson asked whether the Planning and Zoning Commission would consider changing it to 900 to 1,000 square feet.

Guilford allows 1,200 square feet for accessory apartments. Anderson stated, but for Madison, he suggests 1,000 square feet or under.

In determining what changes should be made, Anderson stated that the Planning and Zoning Commission has to consider the fact that there are limited buildable areas left in Madison, accessory apartments can be created in such a way as to not adversely impact the character of thetown, and Madison’s population has peaked at 18,269 and is projected to fall to 16,056 by 2035.

He envisions accessory apartments would apply to new construction.

Secretary Thomas Burland stated that accessory apartments dramatically change the character of the town for all those residents who bought single-family homes, in single-family neighborhoods, and he stated that he would not like to see a proliferation of accessory apartments in his neighborhood.

Commissioner Joel Miller sated that right now no one has any influence over whether someone puts an accessory apartment in a single-family home and neighborhood. The population is decreasing, large homes are less desirable, older residents want to downsize, and young families would like to move into town, yet few options exist in Madison for affordable places in which to downsize or for housing for young families.

Anderson reminded the commissioners that this is a brainstorming conversation and that he would like to continue the discussion, and he asked the commissioners to let him know what information they would like him to gather for them.

Commissioner Richardson stated that he would like information on the differences between 800 square feet, 900 square feet, and 1,000 square feet accessory apartments.

The group agreed to continue the discussion about whether regulations should be changed and when at future meetings.