Select Board Approves Affordable Housing Plan
Select Board · Meeting of September 21, 2026
Manchester-by-the-Sea Select Board approves affordable housing plan, hears trimmed 245-unit Pine Street proposal. The board voted 5-0 to submit a revised Housing Production Plan to the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, preserving the town's 40B "safe harbor" status, after data showed a $1.38 million median home price requires a $323,000 household income against a townwide median of $270,000. Jefferson Apartment Group returned with its Gordon College site proposal cut from 285 to 245 units, a 20 percent reduction, with density down to 12.25 units per acre; the fiscal consultant projected a $430,000 annual net benefit and nearly $2 million in one-time fees, though board member Ann Harrison challenged the per-pupil school cost assumptions behind those figures.
"This reduces our units per acre from about 15-ish units to 12 and a quarter units per acre," said JAG's Lauren. The board also downgraded drought status to remove water restrictions, revised its tree policy to drop the "heritage tree" designation, and previewed a Fall Town Meeting warrant including $710,927 for the town's new fire engine.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 3,618 words
Source: the Select Board meeting of September 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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