Beverly ADU Ordinance Update

At the June 26th Beverly Special City Council meeting, councilors discussed proposed amendments to the city's ADU ordinance which would allow ADUs to be built by right in most residential areas in the city. Please see the requirements and restrictions for building an attached or detached ADU ordinance by right:

• Owner occupancy requirement
• No more than one ADU on each property
• Must meet sanitary and building codes
• All applicable utility services must be active if an ADU is present
• Minimum of one off-street parking space
• The ADU and principal dwelling may not be sold separately

In addition, all ADUs must comply to the following dimensional and design requirements:

• Square footage of an ADU must be no less than 500 square feet and no greater than 1,500 square feet, or 50% of the square footage of the principal dwelling unit (whichever is less)
• For attached ADUs, all stairways leading to the second and third stories must be contained within the exterior walls of the principal building
• For detached ADUs, the height of the accessory structure cannot exceed the height of the principal dwelling

In the RHD and RSD, which are multi-family residential districts, ADUs may be built by special permit, with the Zoning Board of Appeals acting as the Special Permit Granting Authority (SPGA). In addition, the SPGA may provide permit relief for the maximum height, square footage, and setback requirements.

A joint public hearing with the City Council and Planning Board has been scheduled for September 5, 2023, at 8:00 PM.

Updates will be posted on the NSR blog.