Manchester Zoning Board tables Hallsville School affordable-housing plan after neighbor objections, requests broker opinion

The Manchester Zoning Board of Adjustment on June 12 tabled a plan to convert the vacant Hallsville Elementary School at 275 Jewett Street into a multifamily affordable housing development, after neighbors and board members pressed for more information on property-value impacts and parking.

Developer York Hallsville LLC and project civil engineer Brian Pratt of Boston O'Neil presented a plan to convert the 1891 school to roughly 36–40 residential units, preserve the gymnasium for continued Manchester Parks and Recreation use, and provide roughly 43–46 on‑site parking spaces. The applicant told the board it intends to pursue low‑income housing tax credits through the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority (NHHFA) and expects a September application deadline with awards in December.

Why it matters: The project would reuse a large, city‑owned vacant building and aims to deliver mostly income‑restricted housing in a neighborhood of single‑ and two‑family homes. Neighbors said they support revitalizing the property but said the proposed scale and the amount of parking and new traffic would harm the residential character and create safety concerns on narrow local streets.

Board members and the developer repeatedly referenced a traffic study submitted with the application; the developer said the study shows a net reduction in peak‑hour trips compared with the school’s historic use. Pratt said Parks and Rec’s pickleball sessions typically generate about a dozen vehicles at peak times and that the gymnasium would remain available for the city under a lease arrangement.

Residents testifying opposed the plan or expressed caution. Steven Downson (1018 Merrill Street) and several other neighbors said the vacant school currently attracts abandoned vehicles and trash and that more intensive residential use would increase parking spillover on nearby Merrill, Jewett and Hayward streets. Mary Robersh (1023 Merrill Street), who lives adjacent to the site, said she was most concerned about parking blocking driveways and emergency access.

Supporters and the applicant argued the conversion would reduce some of the peak‑hour traffic caused by morning and afternoon school drop‑offs and would put the site back into active management with professional property maintenance and trash collection.

Board action and next steps: After extended discussion and a failed 2–2 motion to approve, a motion to table the application to the board’s July 10, 2025 hearing carried unanimously. The board asked the applicant to provide additional materials before that meeting including a broker’s opinion or other analysis of potential impacts on nearby property values and follow‑up neighborhood outreach. The applicant said it will continue coordination with city staff, Parks and Rec and planning staff and expects to bring a refined plan and the requested economic analysis back on July 10.

The planning board will still review site‑plan and conditional‑use elements if the zoning relief is later approved; the developer noted financing through NHHFA is contingent on timing and that receiving approvals before the September competitive deadline will be important to the project’s viability.

A tabled decision opens additional time for neighbors to submit written comments and for the applicant to supply the broker opinion requested by the board.