Bourne Planning Board Sets March Public Hearing on Accessory Dwelling Bylaw Changes

BOURNE -- February 8, 2024, Bourne Planning Board advances accessory dwelling bylaw overhaul toward a March public hearing. The board voted unanimously Thursday to move its regularly scheduled March 14 meeting to Wednesday, March 6, to ensure proposed amendments to the Zoning Bylaw's accessory dwelling section, Section 4120, can be submitted to the town in time for the March 15 warrant deadline. Town Planner Jen told the board she had already sent a February 5 memo to the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Bourne Housing Partnership, and the Bourne Housing Trust inviting them to a hybrid joint meeting on February 22 to weigh in on the draft language. The board debated whether to set the minimum short-term rental period at 60 or 90 days, with member John arguing that 90 days aligns with the natural stay of seasonal workers and traveling nurses and that the existing four-leases-per-year cap is designed to prevent Airbnb-style weekend rentals. The board also cleared four other housekeeping bylaw changes for the public hearing package, including removing a now-expired June 1, 2020 sunset date from Traffic Management District egress controls and aligning the town's special permit lapse period with the state's updated three-year Chapter 40A standard.