The following is the full article quoted from The Falmouth Enterprise published on 4/10/26,
pages 1 & 13, entitled, “Seasonal Community Designation Adopted”.
Town Meeting has accepted the state’s Seasonal Community designation, though the benefits
associated with the program will not take effect until the town adopts two related zoning
amendments.
Created under the 2024 Affordable Homes Act, the designation is intended for communities
with large seasonal population shifts and provides municipalities with tools to help expand
year-round housing opportunities.
Town Meeting this week approved accepting the designation by the required two-thirds vote,
132 in favor and 48 opposed, after a discussion that focused largely on the zoning changes the
town must adopt within 24 months of accepting the Seasonal Community designation, in order
to access the program’s benefits.
Those proposed amendments would allow by-right development of attainable housing (units
generally between 80% and 200% area median income) on undersized lots in single-family
residential districts, excluding light industrial and marine districts. The change would permit
construction on lots smaller than the district minimum, with a minimum size of 10,000 square
feet or 25% of the required lot size in some districts.
A second amendment would allow tiny homes of up to 400 square feet as year-round housing
units in residential districts where single-family homes are permitted, again excluding light
industrial and marine districts. The homes would be detached dwellings serving as the principal
structure on a lot. The proposal would not require the town to allow movable tiny homes on
trailers by right; those could instead be regulated through special permits or prohibited
altogether, Community Development Director Jedediah Cornock said.
Cornock also clarified that the tiny homes allowed under the proposal would be separate from
income-based affordability requirements. Technically, he said, a 400-square-foot home could
already be built under current zoning in areas where single-family homes are permitted. The
difference under the Seasonal Community designation would be how the property could be
used.
“The difference is it would be year-round housing for folks who want to live there,” Cornock
said. “Right now, if someone built a 400-square-foot home on their lot, they could turn around
and make it a short-term rental. Under the Seasonal Community designation, that would not be
allowed—it would only be for year-round residence.”
Several voters, including Precinct 5 member and Planning Board member Charlotte Harris, said
they were concerned there was not enough information about how the zoning changes could
affect neighborhoods and property owners.
“I’m not against most of the provisions of it,” Harris said. “I really think what we should do is
delay it until we know a lot more about it—that we actually understand the regulations, that
we understand the impact of the six programs and the full impact of the requirement that says
we’re going to change our zoning.”
Harris added that while property owners could choose whether to pursue such projects
themselves, they would have no control over whether neighboring properties did.
Similar concerns were voiced by Maureen Harlow-Hawks of Precinct 6, who said some
homeowners intentionally purchased property next to undersized, unbuildable lots.
“I know a lot of people who bought houses next to unbuildable lots for a reason,” Harlow-
Hawks said. “So that would probably eliminate that safety net that they had.”
Others raised concerns about how the changes could affect the character and appearance of
neighborhoods.
The designation and acceptance of the zoning change also give the town access to additional
housing-related tools. They include year-round occupancy restrictions, expanded property tax
exemptions for primary residences and housing preferences for certain municipal employees
and artists. The town could also establish a year-round housing trust to fund the creation or
preservation of attainable housing for residents earning up to 250 percent of the area median
income.
Cornock said the town cannot pursue those measures without first accepting the Seasonal
Community designation.
Peter L. Clark, a Precinct 1 Town Meeting member and a member of the Affordable Housing
Committee, made a plea, saying the designation could help address the lack of housing for
younger people who work in town.
“That’s a huge loss for any community,” Clark said. “You’re talking about changing the quality of
the community—my god, what you’ve got is a lot of expensive houses with older people living
in them. That changes the quality of the community, in my mind.”
While Town Meeting approved accepting the designation, Cornock emphasized that the zoning
changes would still go through a separate public review process. The Planning Board would first
hold hearings on the amendments before they return to a future Town Meeting for a vote.
Acceptance of the state’s designation itself does not change the town’s current zoning laws.