Salem · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Salem public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
15 Nowell Court Wetland Permit
Councilor Sweeney asked the commission to fund a wetlands scientist to evaluate two parcels — behind the police station and off Millville Street — for possible youth sports fields, raising questions about wet ground, noise, and how conservation and recreation uses would coexist.
South Fire Station Wetland Permit
The 1974 station is overcrowded, has asbestos flooring, no decon room, no ADA access, and apparatus bays too small for modern trucks. Impact fees of about $1.35 million must be committed within six years or returned to developers — using them on this project means near-zero tax impact for the first three years of a 20-year bond.
SARL Veterinary Services Trailer
The Animal Rescue League will get a bigger trailer for low-cost spay/neuter, dental, and vaccination services — demand has surged and the old 12-foot-wide trailer is worn out.
Goddard School daycare traffic at 142 Main Street
Converting the old Rite Aid into a 142-student daycare has traffic experts and board members worried about pickup and drop-off congestion on Main Street. The town's consultant won't support the current driveway plan, so the board ordered a traffic study and pushed the case to a later meeting.
Donigian Farm senior housing density and flooding
A developer wants to raise an approved 18-unit senior housing project to 30 homes on Pelham Road, arguing the extra density pays for a town water line. Neighbors who have flooded for decades say the land can't handle it and fear worse flooding, more traffic, and septic problems.
Goddard School pedestrian connection dispute
The Goddard School at 142 Main Street wants to scrap a required staircase linking its lot to the neighboring East Point Plaza parking, citing a crumbling wall and child safety. The board held that the parking easement requires safe passage between the lots and told the school to come back with an alternative.
South Station project timing
The committee briefly weighed whether to move ahead with the South Station renovation and agreed waiting only makes it more expensive. Delaying could also cost the town good employees.
5 Frary Street lot unmerger
The council granted a request to unmerge involuntarily merged lots at 5 Frary Street, but Shore Drive neighbors complained they never saw a plan showing the separated lots and felt shut out of the process.
Tuscan Village Master Plan 3.0 rewrite
The major Tuscan Village revision — hotel, apartments, and workforce housing — was continued to October 27. Separately, the board learned the North Jewel Building's elevations were changed from what was approved, prompting a design-consultant review and resident criticism of unequal enforcement.
Bluebird self-storage development on Manor Parkway
A 14-unit contractor-bay project needs permission to build within 10 feet of a wetland where 20 feet is required. The commission found the site is mostly old gravel-pit rubble and invasives and recommended approval; the Planning Board decides next.
Bluebird Self-Storage Visibility and Landscaping along I-93
Clearing part of the wooded parcel near I-93 will make the big storage building highly visible from the highway, which is why the board made preserving the remaining tree line a condition of approval. The applicant restored the tree count to 64 and added windows and landscaping to soften the view.
Undersized-lot housing at 28 King Street raises neighbor concerns
A resident living behind the lot questioned the lot's true size, wetland impacts, septic placement near a town lot with flowing water, and emergency access. The board approved the variance anyway, relying on the stamped plot plan, state septic approval, and later police and fire review.
King Street wetlands, safety and lot-size concerns
A neighbor flagged fire access worries, a storm drain near his well, and a lot-size discrepancy on the tax card. The Board leaned on state septic approval and Town engineer review, but acknowledged the tax card error and required wetland protections and a road extension.
Tuscan Village Artwork Murals
The casino formerly approved as 'Live' will rebrand as Rockingham Grand Casino, reallocating wall signage and adding a mural of historic racetrack images on the Pleasant Street facade, with opening targeted for mid-2027.
Keewaydin Drive Office Building and Digital Sign
A four-story, 63,700-square-foot medical office building got approved, but the oversized digital sign (144 sq. ft., 56% changeable copy versus the 100 sq. ft./20% limits) didn't fly and comes back later.
31 Atkinson Road two-lot subdivision dispute
A family property held since 1963 gets split into two house lots, with wooded buffers and driveway relocation conditions to protect neighbors.
Town forest land acquisition
The fund sits at about $2.03 million with a major land purchase expected to close in July, plus a $2,000 annual donation from Ed Hawkins.
Development of small lots of record on Evergreen Road
A.E. Gidley won approval to build on one of the last vacant 1940s-era lots on Evergreen Road, matching variances granted for neighboring lots. Abutters raised concerns about a well near the new septic system and a property-line encroachment letter — issues the board said are civil matters outside its authority.
Vacant commercial space conversion at 401 Main Street
Vacant office space on Main Street is becoming four apartments, one of them affordable. It adds housing with no exterior changes, though the applicant will pay about $15,000 in impact fees and record an affordable housing covenant.
401 Main Street office-to-housing conversion
Hard-to-lease second-floor commercial space at the Main Street shopping center will become four apartments — adding housing without changing the building's exterior. The property abuts the residential zone on Hampstead Road.
Haus of Athletes at Funhouse Plaza
A scheduled-classes fitness facility is moving into the old Zezo's Dollar space at 291 South Broadway, bringing youth and adult athletic programs to town. The board approved it with a parking permit for 236 spaces instead of the 409 zoning would normally require, betting on the gym's low parking demand.
Millville Arms Affordable Housing Funding
The affordable housing project has been delayed again — no tax credit grant, though $3 million in federal spending was secured. The board extended the plan a year and kept the older, lower impact fees in place.
Two-lot subdivision at 3 Bernice Avenue
A corner property gets split into two quarter-acre lots, both on town water and sewer, after a variance for undersized lots. Approval comes with sewer extension work up Bernice Avenue.
Rental housing expansion at Willows Park
Adding a sixth single-family rental home on a lot that already has five brings more housing to Salem, but the board won't approve it until an old wetlands condition is dealt with.
Salemi 22-unit townhouse development at 177 Main Street
Neighbors say 22 townhouses is too dense for the small, cut-through neighborhood, worrying about traffic, trash trucks on a dead-end drive, and a ZBA notification failure they want investigated. The applicant offered a 6-foot fence and abutter meetings, but the board wants a full impact study first.
Site deficiencies and occupancy at 15 Trolley Lane
The applicant added parking, a dumpster, and pavement without approvals and cut down a tree line; the board refused to issue occupancy without striping the lot.
Two-family housing on undersized Brookdale Road lot
A 1975-era undersized lot gets a new duplex replacing a worn mobile home, adding housing in a rural zone where five acres are normally required. One neighbor's low-yield well is the open question.
Affordable housing impact fee incentive
The Board signed off on cutting impact fees 60 percent for six affordable units in a 55-unit age-restricted project at 380 Main Street — a housekeeping fix that keeps the town's affordability incentive working.
Housing: sixth rental unit at 9 Hampshire Street
The applicant wants one more detached single-family rental home on a lot that already has five, adding housing stock in a tight market. The continuance delays two pending occupancy permits and the new unit by a month.
Tuscan Village and casino buildout compliance
Tuscan Village has outstanding lighting, crosswalk and landscaping comments before the next phase, and the casino still needs to resolve facade and lighting comments before permits are issued.
Workforce housing requirement for small projects
Salem requires 10% of units in new multi-family projects to be affordable, but for a four-unit building that means 25% of the project. The board split on whether the new Master Plan's guidance (zero units required for 0-7 unit projects) should apply, and the waiver was denied. This is the first application under 8 units to hit the requirement.
Pickleball Facility at Historic Trolley Barn
A membership pickleball club with indoor and seasonal outdoor courts would reuse a 1900s Main Street building. Board members want answers on noise, hours, lighting, signage and Main Street landscaping before voting; outdoor courts still need ZBA approval.
Redevelopment of vacant Mall Road retail site
The long-empty former Sears Auto building at the mall is becoming Game On bowling and Loretta's Last Call restaurant. The board wrestled with how to charge a fair traffic impact fee when the old use doesn't fit any category — settling on the small retail rate.
Two-lot subdivision on Millville Street
A half-acre parcel fronting three streets gets split into two quarter-acre lots, matching the small early-1900s lots nearby. A prior variance made it possible.
Casino Development
A casino is being proposed just across the New Hampshire line, and Massachusetts officials are worried it could pull gambling dollars away from Salem and add traffic near the border. For Salem, the big questions are whether local businesses and city revenue take a hit—and whether roads and services get squeezed.