allowing municipalities to permit 2 residential units in certain single-family residential zones.

This bill allows towns to approve the conversion of single-family homes into two-unit dwellings in specific urban areas without requiring a discretionary hearing. To qualify, the property must be located in an urbanized area or urban cluster, cannot involve recent tenants or affordable housing restrictions, and generally cannot demolish more than 25% of the home's exterior walls unless local rules permit it. Local planning boards retain the ability to set objective standards like parking requirements and setback limits, but they cannot use these rules to physically block the construction of two units of at least 1,000 square feet each. Additionally, the bill permits planning boards to deny a project only if there is clear evidence of a specific adverse impact on public health, safety, or the environment that cannot be fixed.