What is an ADU and why are some Barrington residents so opposed to them?

At the June 2 meeting, members of the Barrington Town Council tabled a discussion focused on ADUs — accessory dwelling units — until late July, but that could not stop two Barrington residents from voicing their opposition. 

Marianne Ducharme said she lives next door to a resident who converted their shed into an ADU. She recited a list of issues she has experienced related to the ADU: not enough parking spaces for the additional home, loss of privacy for abutting homes, and a negative impact on home values for nearby property owners. 

Ducharme said she was not sure why local officials were encouraging ADUs for Barrington, and in one case, looser restrictions for ADUs in town. 

The push to increase accessory dwelling units in Rhode Island is tied to a package of housing bills that have already been approved by the Rhode Island General Assembly. The legislation has been passed to town officials who are tasked with updating local zoning ordinances that are impacted by the bills. 

At the May council meeting, councilor Kate Berard called for a change to the recommended ADU amendment. Berard said she did not agree with part of the amendment that requires a property be at least 20,000 square feet in order to have an ADU. She said she wanted to eliminate that requirement. She said construction of ADUs would still need to follow setback and height restrictions set forth in building codes. Assistant town solicitor Amy Goins said the 20,000-square foot requirement was written into the state law. Goins recommended the council send the amendment back to the planning board for an opinion on eliminating the 20,000-square foot requirement.

Berard said the 20,000-square foot requirement is an impediment to increasing housing through ADUs. She said only 28 percent of lots in Barrington would be able to accommodate the lot size requirement. 

Goins said there were three “pathways” for someone to add an ADU to their property, only one of which included the lot size requirement — the first pathway is to accommodate a family member who has a disability; the second is building it within the existing footprint of the primary structure (or existing accessory structure) on the property; and the third is constructing it on a lot that is at least 20,000-square feet. 

Goins also explained that residents with lots under 20,000-square feet can still apply for a variance to the existing zoning laws.

At the June 2 council meeting, Barrington resident Charles Brown said he opposed Berard’s suggestion for the change in the lot size requirement. 

Brown offered his own list of negative effects associated with ADUs: the addition of more impermeable surfaces, higher density neighborhoods, and a change in the character of existing neighborhoods. Brown also said that a prior council made an effort to block residents from subdividing their lots, which would have increased density. 

Brown said he was concerned about off-street parking impacts, and questioned how the town would enforce the prohibition of using ADUs for short-term rentals. Will someone monitor the rental websites, he asked, or just deal with it when a neighbor files a complaint? 

Brown questioned how the ADUs would be assessed or valued and also taxed. 

The Barrington Town Council did not respond to the questions or comments posed by Brown or Ducharme; the council is expected to discuss the ADU amendment at its meeting on July 28.