PRESS RELEASE
Date: October 5, 2012
Re: Discussion Forum on Housing—A Proposed Bylaw for Accessory Apartments in Longmeadow, MA
Longmeadow needs to make a decision on housing. To address the needs and interests obtained from the
public comment and research for the Longmeadow Housing Needs Assessment and Action plan,
the Longmeadow Housing Authority drafted a bylaw for accessory apartments. Residents are invited to
learn about the proposal and to discuss how it would work on October 16th and 22nd. On October 16,
the discussion will be at the Fire house Community Meeting Room (on Williams St.), and on the 22nd, it
will be at the Dining Room of the Greenwood Adult Center (on Maple Road). Both events will start at
7:30pm. These discussions occur before we make a decision at Town Meeting, and they will serve to
help ensure that Longmeadow makes the decision that best meets its needs.
The agenda will include a brief summary of the rationale, purpose, and scope of the bylaw, and
background on the other communities (many of them local) that have a similar bylaw. Housing
Authority members will also share distinctions between Longmeadow’s proposal and other
communities’ bylaws. The primary purpose of the meeting will be to discuss the proposal in a
deliberative way. Participants will listen to each other and work through values and commitments and
the details of the proposal. The information so gained would be incorporated in so much as possible
into the final draft before it is presented formally to the Select Board for inclusion in the Town Meeting
warrant for final town approval.
For more information, Contact Ed Kline, Chair of Longmeadow Housing Authority, edkline@outlook.com