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Planning board presses consultant for clearer recommendations in the Housing Production Plan
Summary
Board members said the revised Housing Production Plan draft contains strong data but needs clearer, prioritized recommendations and site-specific guidance; the consultant will take public input at a June 17 forum and report back.
On June 8 the Manchester-by-the-Sea Planning Board reviewed a revised draft of the town's Housing Production Plan and asked the consultant to sharpen conclusions and provide clearer, prioritized recommendations and site-level guidance.
Staff said consultant Karen Sberg circulated an updated draft with revised numbers and will attend the Affordable Housing Trust meeting on June 16 and hold a public forum on June 17 at 6:30 p.m. to gather feedback. The board said those sessions are the last opportunity for substantive input before the consultant finalizes recommendations.
Board members praised the document's breadth but said parts of its data presentation are difficult to read and that the plan should more clearly state the few key conclusions that will drive policy. "The big piece is do we meet the SHI or not, right?" one member asked, flagging the state's Subsidized Housing Inventory as central to the plan's purpose.
Members asked the consultant to evaluate specific potential sites such as Gordon Woods and the Masonic Temple/senior center for their suitability for senior or other housing, and to identify town-owned parcels and privately held sites that could be realistic opportunities. The board discussed infrastructure constraints (water, sewer, schools) and noted the plan's prior versions addressed utilities in summary form.
Members also discussed contacting the state's program that inventories state-owned parcels for housing to see if any Manchester parcels appear on that list.
Next steps: the consultant will collect public and Affordable Housing Trust feedback on June 16 and 17, incorporate comments and return to the planning board with revised recommendations and potential site assessments.
