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Council approves rezoning and site plan for former Lincoln School at 401 Lincoln Street
Summary
The PMD voted to rezone 401 Lincoln Street to permit a 16‑unit apartment after a public hearing; commissioners approved a site plan conditioned on the applicant revising parking to meet the 1.5 spaces‑per‑unit requirement.
A Manchester PMD meeting on March 1 approved rezoning and a site plan for 401 Lincoln Street, the former Lincoln School, to allow a 16‑unit apartment building.
Property owner Wes Schulty told the commission he bought the school in 2021 and concluded the building was beyond feasible rehabilitation. "I bought that building in 2021 ... it was a little too far gone to rehab," Schulty said, and described a plan to demolish the structure and build a single‑story apartment building with 12 one‑bedroom units and four two‑bedroom units aimed at seniors and workforce housing.
Commissioners opened a public hearing, asked technical questions about zoning and utilities, and discussed parking and site layout. The applicant said the site has existing water and sewer hookups and described a site plan showing roughly 21 parking stalls. Commissioners noted the project will require 1.5 parking spaces per unit (24 stalls) and asked Schulty to revise the plan and submit updated drawings. Schulty said he would resend the revised layout.
After closing the hearing, the commission moved and voted to approve the rezoning request and then took up the site‑plan review. The body approved the site plan by voice vote with the expectation that the applicant will amend the parking layout and document the required parking in the approval records.
Why it matters: The project converts an underused institutional parcel into housing stock, including units aimed at seniors and the local workforce. Commissioners emphasized infrastructure readiness and asked staff and the applicant to ensure parking and setback standards are met before final permitting.
Next steps: The applicant will submit revised site drawings reflecting the required parking and street/sidewalk connections; staff will verify setbacks, utilities and any required permits before building permits are issued. The commission recorded the approvals by voice vote; no roll‑call tallies were recorded in the meeting transcript.
