Scituate Planning Board Approves Two ADUs, Sends Neilgate Stormwater Plan Back for Revisions

SCITUATE -- April 9, 2026, Scituate Planning Board approves two accessory dwelling units and continues a contested stormwater hearing. The board unanimously approved a special permit for a 1,255-square-foot detached ADU at 36 Grasshopper Lane for the Ferry Family Realty Trust, at 37.8 percent of the principal dwelling's 3,462 square feet, the structure falls just under the town's 40 percent cap for large ADUs, and gave site-plan approval to a 653-square-foot by-right ADU at 57 Summer Street for owner Andrea Montgomery. Attorney Bruce Isidore, representing abutters Michael and Elizabeth Snyder, urged the board to "take into account" the cumulative effect of large special-permit ADUs on small lots, warning of a "Pandora's box" as more property owners discover the option. The board also continued a stormwater permit hearing for a four-lot subdivision at 48 Neilgate Street to April 23 after the Fire Department cited driveways at up to 15 percent grade as a winter-access hazard and DPW warned that catch basins positioned high on the steepest driveways would channel runoff directly onto the scenic road.