Planning Board Unanimously Recommends School Street Rezoning for Town Meeting Vote

MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA, March 23, 2026, Manchester-by-the-Sea Planning Board votes unanimously to send School Street rezoning to Town Meeting. The board recommended a citizen's petition filed by Peter Constantino, who purchased 115 School Street and also resides at 25 Legend Street, to rezone 115, 117, 119, and 121 School Street from Residential District A to Residential District B, a change that would lower the minimum frontage requirement from 150 feet to 75 feet and the minimum lot area from 22,500 to 15,000 square feet, bringing three of the four parcels into full conformance. Chris Day, owner of 117 School Street, spoke in support, saying he was "completely comfortable, in fact supportive of the plan." Member Gordon Brewster raised concerns that the change primarily benefits a single petitioner and that similar non-conformities across town lack systematic review, but the board voted 6-0 to recommend the article. In a separate discussion, architect John Marciello disclosed that the town's MBTA Communities bylaw, as written, appears to prohibit detached single-family construction in targeted infill areas, because the state-required multi-family definition demands more than one unit per building, a finding Planning Director Mark Resnick said may require EOHLC guidance before any fix can reach a future Town Meeting.