Voters to decide housing, solar development future at Special Town Meeting

Voters will determine the future of solar and housing development at the Monday, Jan. 13 Special Town Meeting at 7 p.m. in the Wareham High School Auditorium.

The meeting will also include decisions on a municipal property purchase and the hiring of solar experts.

The primary issue voters will tackle is the implementation of the Affordable Homes Act, which state legislators passed in August 2024 to address housing affordability and availability and goes into effect Feb. 2 of this year. The fast approaching deadline is an important reason town officials called for the special meeting.

At the Fall Town Meeting voters passed over the same issue due to a lack of guidance from the state. Town officials say guidance for how municipalities should implement the law is still missing. However, the Planning Board has drafted two different approaches for Wareham in the absence of comprehensive state guidelines.

Accessory dwelling units. The Affordable Homes Act amended zoning laws state wide, allowing properties zoned single family to have a second independent living space, commonly known as an accessory dwelling unit. These residences can be attached to the property, such as attics and garages, or detached like small outbuildings. The building can be a maximum of 900 square feet or no larger than half the square footage of the main house, whichever is smaller.

Two articles for consideration at Town Meeting address how Wareham would implement the statewide zoning law amendment and the introduction of accessory dwelling units to the town.

The first approach calls for a moratorium on the law. If passed, the moratorium would prevent the permitting and building of accessory dwelling units in Wareham until January 13, 2026.

The second approach details the additional regulations and guidelines Wareham would impose as part of implementing the zoning law change.

If passed, the article stipulates that only one accessory dwelling unit will be allowed per property. Importantly, it also explains that both the main house and the secondary unit may be rented. However, for properties with accessory dwelling units, rentals must be for at least six months, and short-term or summer rentals are prohibited.

The article also includes various parking and design requirements.

Town officials felt the need to locally address the statewide zoning change because of fears that large developers would abuse accessory dwelling units and the short term rental market.

Town Administrator Derek Sullivan explained that a large developer could purchase single family homes, construct accessory dwelling units on the property and rent both homes on a short term basis, potentially raising the cost of living.

Solar district. Voters will also consider changing the zoning bylaws to confine all future large-scale solar arrays to a designated area.

The related article includes two proposed sizes for the “solar zoning district”, one smaller and one larger. Both encompass the existing business overlay district which already contains several large solar arrays as well as many cranberry bogs.

The zoning restriction would not apply to any “at-will” solar installations such as those on the roofs of homes or businesses but would affect all future large scale ground-mounted solar arrays that require approval by the Planning Board.

Solar projects currently under construction will be grandfathered into their existing locations.

Solar developers will still need approval from the Planning Board before construction begins in the regulated district.

Solar experts. Voters will make a decision on article one, a proposal to spend $100,000 on “solar experts” to be used for litigation or any other “relative action.”

Property purchase. If voters approve the article, the town will purchase 2.09 acres at 80 Marion Road, for municipal purposes. The land contains several buildings and is located directly next to Town Hall and near Wareham Middle School. The article proposes spending $600,000 on the purchase from the certified free cash fund, left over un-allocated money from the previous fiscal year.