Affordable Housing, Wind Power OKed

Affordable housing in Barrington got a boost from the Town Council Monday night, Feb. 6. So did small-scale wind turbines. Drive-through facilities survived a ban.

The councilors approved a host of Planning Board-recommended amendments to the town’s zoning ordinances after a public hearing that had been continued from Jan. 3.  The only amendment to fail was the ban on drive-through facilities. You still need a special-use permit to build one.

About half a dozen residents made comments on the amendments. One resident, Jeff Black of Colley Court, read through a 25-page document with 10 separate objections. Jean Robertson, a member of the Planning Board, testified in favor of small-scale wind turbines as a 35-year property owner.

Generating your own wind power with a rooftop or backyard system was approved with a condition. You have to get a special-use permit from the Zoning Board. And it cannot be higher than 35 feet off the ground unless the Zoning Board approves it.

Converting your house from a single-family to a two-family unit -- one of five amendments designed to spur more housing for low- to moderate -income owners – got the okay from the councilors. But you will have to get a special-use permit from the Zoning Board. And your home must have been built by Jan. 1 of this year.

Creating a multi-family home as part of a mixed-use commercial development was approved. But you will have to go before the Zoning Board for a special-use permit if your property is in a neighborhood-business zone.

Other amendments allow housing on substandard lots, senior residential communities and mixed housing types.

Black suggested that all of the affordable housing amendments -- not just two -- should incorporate the need for a special-use permit.

All of the housing amendments are attempts to meet Barrington’s goal for affordable housing as set by the state. Planning Board chairman Mike McCormick, who briefed the councilors on the amendments at the start of the hearing, said “there was significant sentiment on the Planning Board to spread affordable housing throughout the town” instead of in clusters such as Walker Farm Lane.

Property owners who want to convert space into an affordable apartment have to meet all the income and deed restrictions set up by the federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) agency.

The attempt to ban drive-throughs was suggested to make the town commercial area more viable and “pedestrian friendly,” McCormick said.

Cellular communication towers now have guidelines for the first time. Antennas will be allowed only on existing structures.

Black’s 25-page document focused heavily on wind turbines, which he said can cause loud noise and other issues with neighbors.

Robertson said: “I feel strongly that people should have the right to reduce their carbon footprint and their reliance on fossil fuels.”

She said Barrington “used to be filled with wind generators 35 years ago” when she moved into her Water Way home. “And I certainly wouldn’t build something that would keep my neighbors awake because it would keep me awake, too,” she said.

Patrick Collins of Governor Bradford Drive suggested that the town ease into allowing two-family conversions for affordable homes.

“Why not use the first five as an investigation?” he said. “Will the conversion affect property values?”