WESTERLO — By unanimous vote, the Westerlo Town Board at its May 6 meeting did away with the requirement for a special-use permit to build accessory-dwelling units of a certain size.

Now, any ADU up to 1,200 square feet of living space is permitted by right. A unit larger than that will still require site-plan approval and a special-use permit.

ADUs are a common option for elderly residents who want to live near their families — particularly in the Hilltowns where there’s still no official senior housing, and the prospects for any are dim.

Westerlo’s planning and zoning board of appeals Chairman Bill Hall told The Enterprise earlier this year that easing ADU requirements was a “no-brainer” as the town sought ways to make up for the lack of easy senior living. 

And fortunately for the small, rural town, crafting an ADU law was fairly straightforward, unlike in other communities where densities are higher and any invitation for more widespread construction could cause problems. 

The town has a 3-acre minimum lot size, which Hall says provides ample padding for any new buildings.

“I know in some towns there’s a lot of restrictions on what you can do with an ADU …,” he said. “With there being only one unit [per three-acre property], I don’t think it’s going to get out of control.”

Hall told The Enterprise before the bill was written that the goal was to keep it simple, without adding any additional requirements. 

“As you go to these planning conferences and things, you see all sorts of situations,” he said. “It could be a little house out back, a little cottage, it could be above the garage, behind the garage, things like that. We just want to make it a little bit more open so that those scenarios can be handled.”