Peabody planning board deadlocks on GB2 zoning proposal for 143 Linfield Street

The Peabody Planning Board on April 17 heard a petition to create a new general business subdistrict called GB‑2 and to rezone 143 Linfield Street to that district; the board voted on a recommendation to the City Council but the motion ended in a 3-3 tie and did not pass.

The change proposed by 143 Linfield Street Holdings LLC would add multifamily residential as a use in GB‑2, require a minimum lot area of 10,000 square feet for multifamily, and leave dimensional standards (setbacks, height and frontage) the same as the existing GB district. Attorney John Kelty, representing the property owner, told the board the parcel is 25,990 square feet and that any residential development would require a special permit: "I would hope that, this evening you would consider a favorable recommendation to the city council." The applicant estimates a mixed‑use building with retail on the first floor and two residential floors above, yielding roughly eight units.

Why it matters: the petition would allow…