Stanford residents consider accessory dwelling unit options

STANFORD — As part of Thursday’s Town Board meeting, the town of Stanford held a public hearing Thursday, Aug. 8, about the proposed amendments to Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) regulations. With the hope of increasing the availability of affordable housing options in town, the Town Board is looking to relax restrictions on accessory dwelling units, making them easier to build and rent out. The proposed law would remove, among other requirements, the requirement that a lot be 2 times the size required in its zoning district, in an effort to make the opportunity to build an ADU more equitable. The ADUs may be attached or detached from the primary dwelling, but must have exterior access and may not share any kitchen, bathroom, or sleeping and living spaces with the primary dwelling. Direct access between a primary dwelling and an attached ADU would be permitted, but the door would need to be lockable from both sides so that either party may lock it.

The proposal was generally well received at the meeting, but some community members expressed concerns. Stanford resident Manny Gonzalez worried that, rather than increase the availability of affordable long term rental units, the proposed amendments may largely result in units being built for use as short-term rentals through platforms like AirBnb. He wondered if language could be added to the law to stipulate a minimum rent-contract length. The Town Board said that while that was not part of the bill itself, it is working on a separate law that would regulate short-term rentals like AirBnBs.

Another issue that was consistently mentioned during the hearing was the potential for excessive burden on the town’s sewer system. Given the proximity to important water bodies such as Hunn’s Lake and Wappinger Creek, the concern was the increased burden on the sewer system could lead to pollution of these waters. The Town Board noted that the proposed law required all new ADUs to be approved by the New York State Department of Health, but some meeting attendees were worried that the department may not entirely understand or consider the impact on the lakes and streams. Walt Czachorowski shared that he received a 2008 report on Upton Lake which showed that it was polluted and had algal growth issues, and he said it has not improved since then. He expressed concern that the Department of Health, while it would consider its own regulations, may not have a high enough standard for septic systems to actually keep the waters clean. “They’re not going to care about what it does to a lake that’s 200, 300, 500 feet away,” he said. Charlotte Grasso expressed concern that the Board of Health did not have adequate knowledge of the area’s water systems, saying that they had previously approached her for information critical in determining approval of buildings.

Given the concerns raised at the hearing, the town board decided not to vote on the proposal Thursday evening and instead will try to address the issues raised by community members and postpone voting to a later date.