Curious as to where it is permissible to have more than one residence on a single property in an urban setting. How do the authorities involved handle the situation if a lot split is desired? The following describes a recent survey with three residences.
The entire tract consisted of six individual lots in a city block creating an area of 150 feet by 150 feet. Streets on the west and south. Alley on the north. Other standard residences to the east. The city had an overwhelming need for living space more or less overnight in 1941. The owner of one of the lumberyards in the city had a nice home on this set of six lots. That house was in the southeast corner of the tract. He built another house in the northwest corner, fronting a side street. Then he built another, but smaller, house directly north of his house immediately adjacent to the alley with the front door facing the back door of the house in the northwest corner of the tract. The original house is within one foot of the east tract line. The smaller house in the northeast corner is within a foot of both the east line and the alley. The house in the northwest corner is within a foot of the alley but has a decent setback from the street it faces.
We get called in to divide the tract such that the two smaller houses can be sold off as a unit and the original house and most of the vacant area can be sold as a different unit. Current setback requirements call for 25 feet in the front, 15 feet in the rear and 6 feet on the side. There was 23 feet between the back of the original house and the smaller house in the northeast corner. We ran a line allowing 16 feet to the original house and 7 feet to the other. That line then extended until it was 15.5 feet from the back side of the house in the northwest corner and about 18 feet west of the original house. Then we ran a short line 14.5 feet south, into the middle of a concrete basketball court, before heading west to the west line of the block and missing the northwest house by 8 feet. The city approved this lot split.
Would that fly in your area?
There are several mechanisms that can make this work in MA. We have a grandfather clause that if buildings existed prior to he adoption of zoning then you may split a lot around the previously existing buildings. You may need zoning relief once this done, or not, depending on the town.
Another option is if the lot has twice the area required by the zoning bylaws.
In my area the boards are lenient when it comes to property with existing houses. Usually they make us split the setback evenly between the structures and if it doesn't meet the current standards no big deal.
In urban areas even a zero lot line setback is understood.
The challenge and greater concern is to have all underground utilities on the particular lot or in easements.
The other difficulty is when there are on lot wells and septic.
We can do only the best we can and not fritter over it.
Paul in PA