Planning Board endorses School Street lot split

Planning Board · Meeting of September 14, 2026

Manchester-by-the-Sea's Planning Board narrows its fall Town Meeting zoning list to two items. The board voted unanimously to endorse an "approval not required" lot split at 25 Pleasant Street and 115 School Street for Peter and Abigail Considine, then agreed to bring only a sign bylaw rewrite and a standard ADU setback correction to the November 16 Town Meeting. Director of Land Management Marc Resnick said "the attorney general has said that the ADUs have to comply with the accessory buildings," meaning the town's bylaw currently cites the wrong, more restrictive setback.

Chair Sarah Creighton said she wants to keep the warrant light, noting "the less stuff that we bring to town meeting that's not critical," with a fire truck purchase and Essex school articles also on the fall ballot. The board tabled a state-mandated clean energy siting bylaw, larger accessory dwelling units, and new fence-height rules for a future meeting, and approved its August 10 minutes on a motion by John Harden, seconded by Peter Morton.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,868 words

Source: the Planning Board meeting of September 14, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.