Small rental units near final step of approval process

Residents may soon be allowed to build small apartments on their properties for family members or to use as rentals.

The assembly gave its initial approval to an ordinance that would let residents add rental units to their properties at its Nov. 14 meeting. Before the new ordinance is officially approved, it must undergo a public hearing and be approved at a second reading before the assembly.

The public hearing is scheduled for the Dec. 12 assembly meeting.

These rentals — called “accessory dwelling units” — are not currently permissible in municipal code. Borough staff are hopeful that allowing these units will help ease the tight housing market. More housing in town could “expand industry, bolster our economy and ensure that interested persons and residents can build their lives here,” Economic Development Director Kate Thomas wrote in her summary of the ordinance.

The push to allow these units has been in the works since 2022, when then-Economic Development Director Carol Rushmore started discussing housing regulation changes with the planning and zoning commission.

After receiving several requests from homeowners to build smaller apartments for an in-law or parent behind a pre-existing single-family home, Rushmore decided the borough code should be updated to accommodate these requests.

“Because of our housing crush, this is a way for people who really want to do that to improve our housing situation,” Rushmore said at a 2022 work session.

The ordinance has gone through several changes in recent months, as borough staff, the borough attorney and the planning and zoning commission discussed what community members should and should not be allowed to build.

In the most recent version of the code, accessory dwelling units’ maximum size is dependent on the size of the lot, though units can’t be more than 800 square feet. The unit can be connected to the water and sewer systems of the primary residence but must be “visually subordinate,” meaning that it is smaller than the main house and set back from the property line.

Property owners would have to go through the building permit process and get borough approval before they could begin construction on an accessory unit. The Economic Development Department plans to create educational materials that will help homeowners understand the permitting and other requirements that they would need to meet to undertake such a project.