Littleton Board of Health Advances Basement Regulation Draft to Public Hearing Stage

LITTLETON -- May 14, 2025, Littleton Board of Health moves basement-regulation draft toward public hearing with one unresolved dispute. The board reviewed a proposed local regulation governing how finished basements and additions count toward a property's Title 5 bedroom total, agreeing broadly on a 400-square-foot threshold but dividing on whether walkout egress should be a trigger. Member Dan Kane said he remained "pretty dead set against" including egress as a qualifying element, calling it effectively "a tax on people that happen to have a walkout basement," while member Kevin Baker endorsed the full draft including the egress provision. Chair Kevin Davis directed staff to redline the egress language, send the revised draft to Town Counsel for legal review, and consult the zoning board before scheduling a public hearing. The board also discussed an approaching arbovirus season, with Eastern equine encephalitis and West Nile virus activity expected within two weeks, and agreed to bring a written breakdown of the town's public notification system tiers to the June meeting after members expressed uncertainty about when mass alerts can be activated for public health events short of an emergency.