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Commission hears update on 22 Hazel Street project; neighbors' concerns and online misinformation delayed review
Summary
Commissioners discussed a proposed conversion at 22 Hazel Street that was tabled by the zoning/planning board amid neighborhood concerns and online posts suggesting it would be a sober house. Commissioners said the project is intended for 14 units of workforce housing and will likely return to the board in one to two months.
The Manchester Housing Commission received an update on a proposed project at 22 Hazel Street that was tabled by planning/zoning panels after neighborhood concerns and online misinformation.
Commissioners said the proposal would create 14 units in a former attorney’s office and was described in public chatter as a sober house. Members said that characterization was incorrect: commissioners described the tenants as working people seeking housing at lower rent levels, not a congregate recovery facility. The planning board or zoning board continued the item to allow due process and to give the applicant time to respond to community questions.
One commissioner said the project’s public outreach was complicated by social‑media postings and screenshots that framed the proposal inaccurately, prompting confusion in the neighborhood. Commissioners said they expected the matter to return to the board in one to two months.
No formal commission action on the project was recorded in the transcript; commissioners’ discussion focused on community relations, clarifying the intended use and encouraging proper public notice ahead of the next hearing.
