NORTH ATTLEBORO — Residents will get at least a few more chances to weigh in on a plan that would limit new mobile home parks or self-storage units in town.
Town councilors, at a brief public hearing this past week, referred the proposal from the planning board to two different council subcommittees — bylaw and economic planning — for their review.
No members of the public attended the hearing.
The planning board and council will both hold hearings where people with an interest can be heard once the subcommittees finish their reviews.
Town Manager Michael Borg told the council the planning board earlier this summer initiated the move to change town zoning bylaws.
“The town has a very limited amount of developable space.” Borg said.
Mobile homes, while they may be less costly than traditional houses, don’t count as “affordable housing” under state laws. Those developments don’t help the town to reach its goal of 10% affordable housing under state guidelines, he said.
And while they fulfill a need, “Property taxes from mobile homes are entirely different from those of traditional homes or apartments,” Borg said, adding that it’s something the town should consider carefully.
Real estate websites list at least a half-dozen mobile home parks within the town’s boundaries, running between 40 and 107 units.
There are at least four self-storage facilities currently operating in North Attleboro.
The newest would be at the site of the former Handy & Harman factory at 72 Elm St., near the center of town.
The bylaw would not affect existing mobile home parks or storage facilities.
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