A Special Town Meeting will be held on November 15 at 7 pm at the Community Center. The warrant is available at the town web site or by clicking here. Article 1 creates the most interest and is discussed in more depth below. Article 2 deals with a straightforward utility easement for the North Truro and Horton’s camping areas. Articles 3 through 11 present “housekeeping” matters that should prove administrative in nature and are expected to pass quickly.
Article 1 - Limiting Home Sizes in Truro
The Planning Board has introduced Article 1 concerning home size. As Curtis Hartman says in his eNewsletter article, it’s been 12 years now that something along these lines has been proposed; most recently, the topic was debated at last April’s Annual Town Meeting.
It seems that most everyone in Truro relishes the town’s pastoral and unpretentious nature; a neighbor describes it simply as “not Chatham-y”. The town’s Comprehensive Plan suggests “Truro’s greatest treasure is the rural character it has preserved”.
But the challenge seems how to translate these generally agreed upon concepts and feelings into a methodology to continue preserving Truro’s character. How do we protect Truro from “mansionization” at the large end of the home size range without unduly restricting citizens at the middle and smaller end of the range who want to build an addition to their home or property? Truro’s rapidly growing population of retirees might wish more latitude in adding to their “summer” home as they convert it into their full-time retirement home, build a studio, or add space to accommodate visiting relatives.
Truro has health department regulations in place that restrict home size based on lot size: the “one bedroom per 10,000 square feet of lot” rule. This has been in place for quite a while and, together with three-quarter acre zoning, setbacks, and height limitations, seems to have prevented Truro from becoming densely populated. Yes there are exceptions but, remarkably, Truro’s character has endured relatively unscathed.
However, health regulations and other restrictions do not provide much protection against mansionization, where large lots provide enough septic system capacity to construct a “mansion” on the grounds. The proposed by-law effectively implements a cap where the large home cannot exceed 4800 square feet of combined footprint, no matter how large the lot. This aspect of the proposed by-law is aimed at a narrow segment, is quite easy for the average citizen to understand, and affects very few existing homes. It should enjoy wide support of the voters.
Considering the state of the economy, and the depression in the building industry on the Outer Cape, we are in a period of reduced risk to our Town’s character, especially for construction below the “mansion” level. The risks of overbuilding, in many cases fueled by real estate speculation, that we faced before the crash of 2008 have subsided mainly for economic reasons. Building permits have fallen by more than half and are expected to remain low for several more years. If we cap the size of a house at the high end, so that we prevent “mansions”, we will have accomplished a major goal.
More and more baby boomers will be retiring to their Truro homes over time, and they may want to modify their homes or property to adapt to a changing lifestyle. It’s likely that many of these additions would be to one level of an existing house and not by adding a less-accessible second floor. As suggested in the Comprehensive Plan, “Buildings are kept low to the ground; they do not project high in the air. In a place of high winds and blowing sand, this is time-honored tradition.” Simple zoning formulas can have the unintended consequences of shifting architecture away from what we all would like to see, as well as forcing more two-story buildings, which are more visible above our relatively low tree-line.
Finally, additions and renovations provide needed work for our tradespeople, especially appreciated during these recessionary times. So although almost everyone agrees it makes sense to restrict unacceptably large additions and mansions, a simple formula at the lower end of the range has consistently proven more controversial.
Come to the Special Town Meeting and hear the informative dialogue and express your views. If we can just define “Chatham-y” and put it into a simple by-law, we’d all be happy Truroites.