City of Methuen Master Plan

Methuen Master Plan 2007
The above two stipulations are subject to inspection by the Building Commissioner on a yearly basis.
The City should consider amending the current accessory apartment regulation with the
following proposed changes:
‣ Removing the restriction that limits accessory apartments to immediate relatives;
‣ Removing the restriction that restricts rental accessory units;
‣ Increasing the maximum unit size to 800 square feet or 40% of the primary
residence’s floor area;
‣ Requiring that accessory units meet the Commonwealth’s definition of affordable
housing units;
‣ Subjecting the addition of accessory dwellings to site plan review to ensure that they
are respectful of the surrounding area.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development’s
(DHCD) Local Initiative Program Guidelines – November 2006, in order to have accessory units
added to Methuen’s Subsidized Housing Inventory, the units must receive Local Action Unit
(LAU) approval and meet the following basic requirements:
• Units require municipal approval;
• Units must be rented on a fair and open basis and will be subject to an affirmative
fair marketing plan approved by DHCD;
• Units must be affordable to households at or below 80% of the area median income
(up to $40,600 for a one-person household in Methuen);
• Units must have their affordability secured by deeded use restrictions (between
fifteen and thirty years) approved by DHCD.
Although the application process for municipalities interested in adding accessory units to
their subsidized inventory is available in the DHCD’s Local Initiative Program Guidelines,, the
following two points are required:
• Application for approval of accessory apartments by the municipality (available from
DHCD) including the development of an affirmative fair marketing plan; and,
• Enact a zoning bylaw by the municipality that allows accessory apartments for low
and moderate income households.
The benefits associated with increasing the affordable housing supply with accessory
dwelling units include:
• Creation of housing units on existing improved parcels without the need to develop
vacant land (smart growth);
• Units are more likely to be respectful of a neighborhood or surrounding area’s design
characteristics and scale;
• Added income stream to homeowners; and,
• Increase the supply of affordable units to meet the City’s 10% threshold.
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