Whitman Zoning Board Advances ADU and Special Permit Bylaw Changes to Town Meeting

WHITMAN -- February 2, 2026, Whitman's Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously twice Monday to send zoning bylaw amendments to town meeting. The board voted 5-0 to propose updates to the town's accessory dwelling unit bylaw, removing provisions the state Attorney General struck down in October, including a single-family restriction on ADUs and a 400-square-foot minimum floor area requirement, and adding a new exemption from site plan approval for ADUs built entirely within an existing structure. In a second 5-0 vote, the board proposed extending the life of a special permit from one to three years, with good-cause extensions to be determined by the board itself rather than the building inspector. Chair John Goldrosen cited delayed marijuana establishment permits as a reason for the change: "They weren't able to exercise within a year because they were waiting for the state Cannabis Control Commission to do its job." Both amendments must pass through the Planning Board, which has a public hearing tentatively scheduled around April 14, before going to town meeting. Vice Chair Richard Blosz also briefed members on a state model bylaw for solar battery energy storage, warning that without local zoning rules such facilities could potentially be sited in residential areas; no vote was taken on that item.