Board hears conversion plan for 175 Lincoln St.; parking, streetscape and preservation noted

Keach Nordstrom Associates presented a plan April 3 to convert 9,200 square feet of second‑floor office space at 175 Lincoln Street into 10 residential units in an existing mixed‑use building (SP2025‑015). The board closed the public hearing and requested follow‑up on parking layout, sidewalk condition and potential bike storage.

The applicant, Matt Peterson, said the parcel already contains a mixture of parking areas and noted the project is intended to create smaller rental units to add to Manchester’s housing stock. The plan would keep existing ground‑floor uses and repurpose the underutilized upper floor; the owner intends to rent the new units rather than sell condos.

The board’s questions focused on parking and streetscape. The applicant said there are 15 existing on‑site spaces and that a previous conditional‑use permit required many more spaces for earlier office/warehouse uses; he and staff agreed the earlier conditional use remains valid. Board members asked whether curbside or on‑street parking that partly overlapped the site could be reduced to enlarge a sidewalk or add landscaping; the applicant said the site has prior agreements with neighboring properties and that DPW would need to be involved. Staff asked the applicant to coordinate with DPW on any curb/encroachment work and suggested the applicant preserve the existing brick sidewalk and consider adding bike storage for future nearby rail‑trail connections.

There was no public opposition at the hearing; staff will prepare a report for the board’s next business meeting. The board closed the public hearing; final action is scheduled for the next business meeting (June 18).