Lincoln Planning Board drafts by-right rules for accessory apartments inside main houses

LINCOLN — July 12, 2022 — Lincoln Planning Board converges on by-right accessory apartments inside main homes. The board on July 12 directed staff to draft a Town Meeting amendment that would make an accessory apartment within an existing dwelling by right, keep a Zoning Board of Appeals special permit for apartments in detached structures, raise the size cap from 1,200 to 1,500 square feet (or 35 percent of combined floor area, whichever is less), and eliminate the Planning Board's recommendation step on ZBA accessory-apartment special permits. Co-Chair Lynn DeLisi said the goal is to "get the planning board out of this." Town Planner Paula Vaughn-MacKenzie also presented spreadsheets showing the 8,000-square-foot per-unit minimum and 25 percent lot coverage cap effectively freeze redevelopment on most B1 and B2 parcels along Lewis Street, prompting member Bob to propose a new mixed-use overlay district. The board approved minutes 5-0 and adjourned.