While the holiday season that is upon us can be hectic, I hope you can find time to be thankful for the Manchester community and the beauty that surrounds us. There is plenty of turbulence in the world, but we are fortunate to have our small corner a place of abundance and peace. I want to take a moment to thank town staff and the hundreds of citizen volunteers who all do great work to make Manchester a wonderful place. Day after day the staff are doing their jobs meeting the needs of residents. It takes a large amount of work to provide the full array of municipal services, from public safety to water and sewer utilities, from road work to tax collections, and from recreational programs to formal records management, etc. I very much appreciate the work that so many are doing.
While the broad array of day-to-day service delivery is carried out by the various Town departments, the Select Board is aiming to advance a handful of priority projects. One priority is to make better progress in diversifying housing options in Town. Whether a young family starting out or seniors looking to downsize but still live in town, options are limited. Manchester’s housing is predominately large, expensive single-family homes. The population in town is getting older with the number of young families and students declining. There is a high need for greater choices in housing, but there is also a very strong desire to maintain the current character of the community. I believe these two needs can advance together but it will take creative thinking and careful listening to many perspectives.
Four of the zoning proposals that were passed over at the recent Special Town Meeting were designed to help diversify the housing stock. These are on hold as the Planning Board takes a step back to reconsider next best steps. While the Board will likely seek voter approval at the spring Annual Town Meeting for additional administrative clarifications and a new section pertaining to Adult Entertainment establishments, proposals for other changes may not advance in recognition of the concerns expressed over proposed changes in the permitting process for various uses and adding a new use, Senior Housing, to all districts (nursing homes are currently allowed in all districts.)
There also is the need to decide whether the Town will comply with the so called “MBTA Zoning” requirements enacted by the state. The Town has until the end of 2024 to make this decision. Over the course of the next 24 months the Town will be engaged in analyzing the pros and cons of allowing multi-family units with a public site plan review process instead of requiring a full special permit review process.
In the short term, a plan of action addressing the potential new zoning requirement needs to be submitted to the state by the end of January. The action plan needs to consist of numerous phases, including data analysis, public input and, if the Town decides to proceed, a Town Meeting vote to amend our zoning. This will all play out over the course of the next two years.
The original requirements the state issued have been modified. There is some additional flexibility in how communities respond to the state’s desire to see greater density near transit stations. For example, the total density requirement has been lowered for Manchester given our coastal location and not all of the potential density has to be within a half mile of the train station. Some 60 percent of the new density can be in other locations in town. There are many details to flush out, from how our zoning already allows the required density in some districts to the varying options for filling the gap the state is looking to close. Again, these details will be explored over the course of many months.
Despite the logistical challenges at the recent Special Town Meeting, one of the bright spots was the large turn-out. There are many important lessons to derive from the meeting, one of them being that voters care deeply about the future of Manchester. My hope is that we can tap into this passion and energy to address not only the housing challenges that we have but also other challenges, particularly around on-going infrastructure and facility needs and adapting to the challenges caused by climate change. Reinvesting in the future of the community will be important. Work is underway on multiple efforts and more will be needed. Let’s tap into the collective wisdom of the community to get to “yes” on the way forward. A good place to start is to create more opportunities where we can speak and listen carefully to one another.
