Charlestown Holds Public Hearings on Major Zoning Amendments

The Charlestown Planning Board is convening a public hearing today at 5 PM in the Silsby Library Community Room, 26 Railroad St., to review two substantive amendments to the town zoning ordinance. The proposals open new pathways for multifamily residential development and establish detailed rules for accessory dwelling units, or ADUs.

The first proposed amendment, to become Section 8.5.12 if adopted, would allow multifamily residential development and multifamily structures on commercially zoned land where adequate infrastructure exists or will be provided. The change would also permit multifamily housing in areas where industrial and manufacturing uses are allowed, but only when those industrial uses are not incompatible with the proposed residential development. The amendment would require conforming edits across the zoning ordinance to align other provisions with the new section.

The second proposal, to become Section 8.4.12 if approved, would allow ADUs as a matter of right in any zoning district where single-family dwellings exist or are permitted, subject to a set of specific limitations. Key constraints in the draft include a required owner-occupancy of one of the dwelling units on the lot, a cap of one ADU per lot, and size limits requiring ADUs to be no smaller than 750 square feet and no larger than 950 square feet of living space. Each ADU must have independent access or shared common access, subdivision of land containing an ADU would be prohibited unless resulting lots meet a 15,000 square-foot minimum, and sale of an ADU separate from the principal dwelling would be prohibited. The draft also bars rental or lease periods of less than 60 days, prohibits multiple attached ADUs in a townhouse style, and forbids using an ADU as a multifamily dwelling. Conforming amendments to other zoning provisions are proposed to reflect these new rules.

Copies of the full proposed amendments and any conforming edits are on file and available for inspection in the Office of the Town Clerk during regular business hours. They will also be available at the deliberative session, at the polls, and at the public hearing.

For the town, the proposals carry immediate policy implications: the multifamily amendment ties housing expansion to infrastructure capacity, potentially directing development toward commercial corridors and compatible industrial-adjacent sites. The ADU proposal aims to increase small-scale rental and owner-occupied housing while limiting investor-driven short-term rentals through owner-occupancy and minimum rental-period rules. Both measures would require the Planning Board and town officials to reconcile current zoning language and build processes for permitting, inspections, and infrastructure review.

Residents and property owners should note that the hearing is part of the official deliberative process. The Planning Board will gather public comment today before any further action on these proposals. Copies of the texts are available at the Town Clerk for review.