Page 2 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022 City Council approves in-law apartment ordinance By Adam Swift H omeowners with so-called “in-law” apartments now have a path to legalize those units. On Monday night, the City Council unanimously approved an Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) ordinance allowing for in-law apartments in singlefamily homes, provided they are brought up to code. “The ordinance is pretty straightforward,” said Ward 4 Councillor Patrick Keefe. “I think it is something that is absolutely necessary to legitimize some of the houses in the city.” City Planner Frank Stringi said single-family homeowners would also be able to create new ADUs within their homes, provided they follow strict regulations and have the units inspected by the city. “There are a lot of restrictions in that they cannot add on to the house, and there are restrictions regarding parking and home ownership,” said Stringi. But he said the homeowners have the ability to build a small ADU that is no more than 600 square feet with one bedroom for family members or additional rental income if they meet all the requirements. “We’ve heard horror stories as councillors from people who went to sell their homes in the city and they were forced to tear out bathrooms or kitchens,” said Ward 6 Councillor Richard Serino. Stringi said one of the catalysts for the ordinance was that the Inspectional Services Department was requiring a lot of kitchens in in-law apartments to be torn out upon the sale of properties. OUR OFFICE HAS MOVED TO 519 BROADWAY, EVERETT SABATINO INSURANCE AGENCY 519 BROADWAY EVERETT, MA 02149 PHONE: (617) 387-7466 FAX: (617) 381-9186 Visit us online at: Rocco Longo, Owner WWW.SABATINO-INS.COM Councillor-at-Large Dan Rizzo said the ordinance was long overdue, noting that many homes received occupancy permits as a legal two-family decades ago only to have the city deem them illegal when the owners went to sell them. Rizzo said he had some concerns about the parking requirements in the ordinance, but the ordinance was eventually passed as written. ADUs within a half mile of a public transit stop do not need an additional parking spot, but those outside that line need one additional spot. However, the ordinance does allow for tandem off-street parking to provide that extra parking space. City Council President Gerry Visconti said he was in favor of the ordinance for multiple reasons, including the potential to increase aff ordable housing in the city. RevereTV Spotlight T une in to the RevereTV Community Channel tonight at 7 p.m. to watch a new episode of “Cooking Made Simple.” Chef Kelly Armetta was back in the RTV kitchen studio to show off another fresh summer creation. His latest recipe includes a summer salad with grilled peaches, green beans, caulifl ower mash and sea bass. If you would like to follow along, prepare your ingredients by previewing the episode on YouTube. “Cooking Made Simple” will air tonight at 7 p.m. and at various times in the midafternoons on weekdays. All episodes can be found in the respective playlist on YouTube. RevereTV was previously participating in an informational public service announcement (PSA) program with the city. That program has now turned into a more permanent situation with a new title, “In the Loop.” Four RTV and city volunteers come to the studio each week to record a PSA about upcoming community events and notices in diff erent languages. These languages include English, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic. The PSAs are immediately posted to RevereTV’s social media accounts and play in between all programming on television. Check out the RTV Instagram page for quick glances at “In the Loop.” Over the past few years, ReFor Advertising with Results, call The Advoca call The Advocate Newspapers te Newspapers at 781-286-8500 or Info@advocatenews.net vere has been recognizing various cultures and backgrounds reflective of residents in the city. Last week Mayor Brian Arrigo held a Venezuelan Flag Raising Ceremony at City Hall to commemorate Independence Day in Venezuela. The ceremony included an explanation for the commemoration and short speeches by representatives from the Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts. It was concluded with raising the Venezuelan fl ag and a live performance of the national anthem. You can view the recording of this ceremony on RevereTV’s YouTube page or at various times in between meetings on RTV GOV. Some repeat programming that you can view for the month of July includes coverage of community events and a few shows produced by community members. Tune in to the Community Channel to watch this year’s Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes, a senior center 4th of July celebration, sights and sounds of the Revere Tea Dance and the Moroccan Cultural Festival, and an interview with a special guest from the Revere Historical Society. Judie vanKooiman has released her July rendition of “Life Issues,” and Rocky Raymond has produced a new episode of “Legends of Pro Wrestling.” The Revere Board of Health program, “Focus on Health,” and the Senior Center’s “The Senior FYI” for this month is also still airing on the Community Channel.
3 Publizr Home