Table of Contents

Group Housing

The town's land development ordinance defines group homes and family care homes as residential household living uses (§12.3.2.B).

The code provides use-specific standards for group homes and family care homes that limit group homes to 10 residents and family care homes to 6 residents, establish a distancing requirement of 1,320 feet for homes with more than 4 residents, and addresses parking (§5.2.1.D). The code's Table of Permitted Uses notes that these uses are allowed in all residential dwellings as permitted by law and may not be prohibited through zoning conditions (Table 5.1.2).

The code also includes a section authorizing the ZBA to grant reasonable accommodations under the FFHA that details the process for requesting a reasonable accommodation and describing the approval criteria for "reasonable" and "necessary" (§3.25).

Food Systems | Urban Livestock

The town's land development ordinance allows the keeping of livestock and domestic fowl as an accessory use in R-40 and R-80 districts without a permit, subject to standards (§5.3.4.J). In other residential, town center, planned development, and mixed use districts, up to 5 hens may be kept with an accessory use permit at detached single-family residences with a minimum lot size of 6,000 SF. The ordinance prohibits sales and regulates enclosure location, design, and management.

The town's land development ordinance also allows domestic beekeeping with an accessory use permit at single-family detached houses or community gardens in residential, mixed use overlay, and some town center districts (§5.3.4.O). The code requires a minimum lot size of 6,000 SF; maximum hive numbers range from 2 to 8 based on lot size, and standards address setbacks and water sources.

A town website summarizes the backyard chicken regulations and addresses frequently asked questions.