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Council approves junk-dealer (flea market) license for Peabody Flea Market, adds parking and health conditions
Summary
The council granted a junk-dealer license to Constellation Gemini LLC (Peabody Flea Market) for 20 Wallace Street after discussion about parking and potential food sales. The applicant said outdoor market activity will be weekends only and the council conditioned the license on use of public lots/private parking and health‑department review if food is sold.
The Peabody City Council on July 9 approved a junk-dealer license for Peabody Flea Market, a proposal by Constellation Gemini LLC to operate at 20 Wallace Street.
Attorney James Willis represented the applicant and said the interior and exterior of the building have been renovated and an occupancy permit had been issued June 24. Owner Carlos Estrada explained the operation would use the building interior during weekdays and an outdoor area on weekends; he said the lot behind the building provides about 25 marked parking spaces and that a security attendant had helped manage parking during a trial run.
Joel Whitman, participating by Zoom and identifying himself as a long-time property owner nearby, urged caution about parking and said on‑street and adjacent lot capacity should be considered. "The area is quite tight," he said, noting past parking problems during earlier flea-market events.
Councilors discussed the location of outdoor activity, parking availability, and health‑department requirements if food is sold. One councilor said conditioning the license to require patrons to use public lots or the applicant's private parking would be appropriate; another noted prior trial runs used municipal lots successfully.
A councilor moved to approve the junk-dealer license with conditions that any food sales meet health‑department requirements and that patron parking be constrained to public lots or the venue's private parking. The motion carried on a roll-call vote. The clerk will record the conditions and the license; the health department will determine whether a food permit is necessary if and when food is proposed.
The council's action allows the market to operate under the stated weekday indoor hours and weekend indoor/outdoor schedule, subject to the stated conditions.
