SOUTH DEERFIELD — Property owners will face fewer regulatory hurdles building accessory apartments and deciding who can live in them, after Town Meeting voters approved changes to the town’s bylaws on Monday night. Additionally, voters approved creation of a new planning and economic development coordinator after years of discussion about the position.

All 19 articles, except for three that were planned to be passed over, were approved by the 168 residents in the Frontier Regional School auditorium, including a $17.48 million budget, which is 4% higher than the current year’s budget due to increased staffing needs in Town Hall. The new fiscal year begins July 1.

Finance Committee Chair Julie Chalfant noted it was a particularly difficult budget year and “everything has gone up” from trash disposal, staffing requests and other general increases, which means “pretty much all of our free cash and our expected revenues” are going toward operations and maintenance. While they were able to skate by for the next fiscal year, she said residents may have to brace for a tough fiscal year 2025 budget.

“If you’re not reading the underlying statement that I’m making,” Chalfant said, “We’re going to make it this year and next year I would be surprised if we are able to cover the budget without asking for a Prop 2½ override.”

Among the most notable additions in the town’s budget is a planning and economic developer coordinator, which is salaried at $73,519, but only impacts the budget by $38,519 because the town budgeted $35,000 to contract somebody from outside of Deerfield for this work last year.

The position will be focused on securing grants, developing strategic support and coordination for town government and projects, working with land-use boards with bylaw development and interpretation, and providing permitting assistance. Town officials have discussed the need for a position like this for the last few years.

Accessory dwelling bylaws

The biggest item of the evening was the adoption of accessory dwelling bylaw revisions. Residents approved accessory apartments up to 900 square feet by right, a shift from the current regulation where a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals is required to build one. The new bylaws allows accessory apartments to be inhabited by any tenant, while the current one only allows caregivers or people being supported by the owner of the primary residence to live there.

Chris Curtis, a consultant for the town, said the revisions were based on language adopted in neighboring communities like Montague, Greenfield and Conway and those changes have had “very little impact on the community.”

“Some of them have been in place for 20 years or more, and really, relatively small numbers of these have been [built] — on the order of six or seven per community,” Curtis said. “We have a shortage of housing and housing choices in the state and accessory apartments are an important mechanism to provide housing opportunities for working people and elders to stay in their own home.”

Finance Committee member and Capital Improvements Committee Chairman Mark Brennan made an amendment on the floor to strike a requirement that any additional exterior entrance to an accessory apartment be permanently closed due to safety concerns, which was adopted.

Several residents spoke up in favor of the bylaw, including ad hoc Senior Housing Committee Chairwoman Lili Dwight and South County Senior Center Director Jennifer Remillard, who said accessory dwelling units can keep the aging population of Deerfield involved in the community.

“Rather than build giant massive zoos for those of us with gray hair, this is a great way to keep us all integrated as a multi-generational community.” said Dwight. She was referring to large senior housing developments and her comments drew laughs from the audience.

Resident Jeff Upton said he understood “the intent of this proposal,” but he has concerns about unattached accessory dwellings, which he described as a “small house,” and where those structures can be sited. Another resident cited concerns about the number of people who could inhabit an accessory dwelling, noting that Amherst rental homes often pack several college students into a room.

“My concern is that a small house can be plunked down 10 feet within your property line,” Upton said. “If that happens, I will guarantee you that will affect the valuation of your property in a negative way.”

Several other residents spoke up in favor of the bylaw, saying it provides childcare opportunities through in-law parents and additional income streams. It was passed with a large majority.

Other articles and a temporary town clerk

Other articles approved by residents include Community Preservation Act funding for tennis courts at Frontier; appropriating $500,000, which was already set aside, for senior housing near Town Hall; and capital requests for a $325,000 Highway Department freight liner truck and $142,343 for Deerfield’s share of a South County EMS ambulance from the town’s Capital Stabilization Fund.

A Frontier Capital Stabilization Fund, pending other member towns’ votes, and an Opioid Settlement Stabilization Fund also were approved.

Sunderland Town Clerk Wendy Houle to helped out with the Town Meeting because Deerfield is currently in the process of searching for a permanent town clerk and laws require one to administer Town Meeting. Deerfield’s bylaws also require the temporary town clerk to be elected, so town officials had to collect paper ballots for Houle.

“We have elected Wendy, congratulations Wendy,” moderator Dan Graves said to cheers in the audience after a very brief count of ballots. “We are very grateful she stepped up to help us this evening.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.

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