Dear Rockland; I read with interest the fear and trepidation over the city government making allowances to add accessory use or "tiny houses" on some lots in your city.

About 5-6 years ago we (the City of Belfast)  did this in Belfast. I write to allay your fears.

1) We have had few do this. You might be able to count them on one hand.

2)  It's still really expensive to build a tiny house and in many ways not practical.

3)  In Belfast, we said "one bedroom" rather than legislate by square footage so it could be a 6,000 square foot tiny house if you had the room. None have done anything like this. All this measure will do is allow a very small nearly unnoticeable few houses over the next decade.

The measure will not destroy Rockland as you now enjoy it. Meanwhile we share the same large lots, excessively large homes, and an affordable housing crunch that instead of doing a tiny amount of urban infill will lead to sprawl and results no one wants to see.

Forget the fears and stay the course.

Best of luck from Belfast.

Mike Hurley is a Belfast City Councilor and resident of Belfast