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Planning board approves 56-unit conversion at 149 Main Street with conditions
Summary
The Winthrop Planning Board conditionally approved Carlton Apartments LLC’s plan to convert upper floors at 149 Main Street into 56 apartments, requiring MDOT coordination, condo declarations, and chimney repointing before a certificate of occupancy.
The Winthrop Planning Board on June 9 approved an application from Carlton Apartments LLC to convert the top two floors of 149 Main Street into 56 rental units, subject to several conditions including MDOT coordination, documentation on parking and condominium governance, and structural work on an existing chimney.
The board moved to approve the application with the standard permit conditions and a set of project-specific requirements. Greg Stewart made the motion to approve the application (Map 31, Lot 23) and Dawn seconded; the chair called for a vote and the motion carried by voice vote—no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.
Why it matters: The decision advances a sizable downtown housing conversion while preserving public-safety and site-control protections. Staff told the board the project meets the town’s density calculation after the assessor confirmed the Winthrop Commerce Center parcels together total about 6.22 acres, exceeding the approximately 4.5 acres needed for the proposed 56 units.
Key conditions: The board’s approval requires that the sprinkler system in the renovated portion be retained and updated; the applicant must provide either MDOT documentation that a driveway permit is not required or an MDOT approval letter; the applicant must coordinate ADA sidewalk and curb upgrades with MDOT and the town; and the corrected application materials (including updated land area) must be submitted for the record. The board also required documentation from a qualified entity demonstrating the chimney’s structural integrity and completion of repointing work recommended in the masonry inspection (masonry inspection dated June 9, 2026) prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy; if repointing is scheduled, the applicant must provide a timeline tied to the CO.
Condominium and parking: The board also directed the applicant to record and provide the condominium declaration and association documents showing allocation of parking spaces to the subject units; those recorded plans and documents must be provided in both digital and printed form to the town planner.
What’s next: Staff said it will date-stamp submitted documents, prepare findings with the adopted conditions for board signature at the next meeting, and continue to coordinate with MDOT on curb and sidewalk improvements. If MDOT requires additional permits or changes, the applicant and town will coordinate with the state prior to final approvals.
Action recorded: The board’s motion to approve included the list of standard and project-specific conditions read into the record. The transcript records consent to move forward and direction to staff; specific numerical vote tallies were not recorded in the meeting transcript.
