Peabody Planning Board Recommends ADU Ordinance, Seeks Parking Rule Revision

PEABODY — June 18, 2026 — Peabody Planning Board recommends ADU zoning ordinance 8-0, flags parking rule as potentially unlawful. The board voted unanimously Thursday to recommend the City Council adopt a new accessory dwelling unit ordinance implementing the state's 2024 Affordable Homes Act, but attached conditions asking the council to resolve four open questions before final passage. Senior Planner Andrew Levin outlined the city's proposed restrictions beyond state minimums: a ban on multiple ADUs per lot, a mandatory one-space parking requirement, a prohibition on short-term rentals requiring at least a 30-day lease, and dimensional setbacks tied to the principal structure rather than accessory-building standards. Board member Dr. Judith Otto Cacciotti cited state regulation Section 7103, which bars municipalities from requiring parking for a protected ADU if any portion of the lot lies within a half-mile of a transit station. "I don't see how we can require parking if they're telling us we cannot," she said. The board also flagged the need for clearer language on short-term rental definitions, square footage calculations for multifamily principal structures, and lease requirements. The City Council's IC&D Committee is expected to vote on the ordinance Tuesday, June 24. Separately, the board convened a subcommittee to begin drafting data center zoning regulations, following a City Council motion by Councilor Ann Manning-Martin; member Roy Simos, a 32-year PMLP veteran, warned that a 100,000-square-foot co-location data center would demand roughly 125 megawatts of power and 1.425 million gallons of water per day.