Continued Public Hearing: Cedar Tree Realty, LLC — Indoor Riding Arena, 267 Topsfield Road
The board voted to continue this hearing to July 23, 2026, at the applicant's request. No substantive discussion occurred.
Continued Public Hearing: 214 High, LLC — Multi-family Dwelling, 214 High Street
The board voted to continue this hearing to July 23, 2026, at the applicant's request. No substantive discussion occurred.
New Public Hearing: James McCormack/196 High Street Ipswich, LLC — Convert 2nd Floor to Apartment, 196 High Street
The board closed the public hearing and approved the decision granting two special permits, as amended during the meeting, to convert the pre-existing nonconforming structure's second floor into one 2-bedroom residential unit, making the property mixed-use. Most discussion focused on cleaning up the draft decision—correcting a typo date (4/14/226), making "permit" plural throughout, adding footnotes to indicate which findings apply to which permit, and inserting a missing "benefit outweighs adverse effects" finding—rather than the project itself, which the board found unobjectionable. A waiver was granted to allow a smaller loading zone (8.5 ft by 18 ft rather than the required 12 ft by 60 ft).
New Public Hearing: Richard and Elizabeth Coakley — Scenic Road Approval, 190 Argilla Road
The board approved the scenic road application for removal of three trees (two 6-inch and one 8-inch) to allow a short driveway, taken out of order at the applicant's request. Board members and staff agreed the small trees would not be missed given the dense wooded area, and no stone walls or the nearby mature tree would be affected.
Director's Update
The board received an update on the Fall Town Meeting (Oct. 20, 2026) zoning schedule, including a first public hearing on July 23 for proposed ADU, definition, and structure amendments, and voted to initiate the Housing Production Plan update process. On the Housing Production Plan, the director noted Ipswich is at 9.3% affordable housing but will exceed safe harbor once pending projects (Avalon Bay/214 units, Harbor Light Homes/52 units, Colonial Drive 40B/40 units) are counted, so this plan cycle will focus on longer-term and creative approaches.
Adopt 6/11/26 Meeting Minutes
The board adopted the June 11, 2026 minutes as written with no edits.
Key Decisions
- Cedar Tree Realty, LLC (267 Topsfield Road): Continued to July 23, 2026, at 7 p.m. Moved by Crespi, seconded by Crawford. Passed.
- 214 High, LLC (214 High Street): Continued to July 23, 2026, at 7 p.m. Moved by Lowe (and Crawford), seconded by Crespi. Passed.
- Motion to reorder agenda to take 190 Argilla Road before 196 High Street: Moved by Lowe, seconded (Mooradd/Crawford). Passed.
- Coakley Scenic Road (190 Argilla Road): Approved removal of three trees. Moved by Lowe, seconded by Crespi. Passed.
- 196 High Street (McCormack): Public hearing closed (moved by Lowe); decision granting two special permits approved as amended, including footnotes clarifying findings and plural "permits," plus a loading-zone waiver (8.5 ft x 18 ft) and payment-in-lieu for one dwelling unit. Moved by Lowe, added to by Crawford, seconded by Hone. Passed.
- Housing Production Plan: Voted to initiate the update process, including forming a steering committee. Moved by Lowe, seconded by Graham. Passed. Target final delivery by end of December 2026.
- June 11, 2026 minutes: Adopted as written. Seconded by Crawford. Passed.
- Adjournment: Moved by Crespi, seconded (Mooradd). Passed.
Action Items
- Develop a full profile of the board's jurisdiction/advisory role and rules of order for reviewing road design projects — Alan Manoian (Planning Director) — —
- Begin regular coordination meetings with DPW (Rick Clark/Frank Ventimiglia) on major road projects — Alan Manoian — —
- Correct decision for 196 High Street (fix "4/14/226" date, make "permit" plural throughout, add findings footnotes, insert benefit/adverse-effects finding) before signing — Planning staff/Alan Manoian — —
- Forward legal counsel's opinions on draft zoning amendments to board members — Alan Manoian — early-to-mid week of July 13
- Issue a full schedule for the Fall Town Meeting zoning process — Alan Manoian — late next week
- Send out proposed Housing Production Plan steering committee list for board review and suggestions — Alan Manoian — —
- Send out schedule for next steps in the 3A design guidelines process — Alan Manoian — late next week
- Present Housing Production Plan to the Council on Aging — Alan Manoian — next week
- Deliver final Housing Production Plan — Alan Manoian — end of December 2026
Related Upcoming Meetings
- July 13, 2026 — Planning Board meeting (referenced).
- July 23, 2026, 7 p.m. — Continued hearings for Cedar Tree Realty (267 Topsfield Road) and 214 High, LLC (214 High Street); first public hearing on proposed zoning bylaw amendments (ADU, definitions, structure).
- August 8 or 10, 2026 — Director to appear before the Select Board.
- October 20, 2026 — Fall (Special) Town Meeting on zoning issues.
- A public informational forum (possibly on a Saturday) on the proposed zoning amendments is planned after the July 23 public hearing; date not set.
- A second public hearing on the zoning amendments may be scheduled later in August; not yet set.
Transcript
Toni Mooradd [0:05]
All right, uh, so good evening. Uh, this is the Ipswich Planning Board meeting. Uh, today is Thursday, July 9th, 2026. Uh, and so to call our meeting to order, I will take a roll call, and I will start with Jennifer.
Jennifer Crawford [0:23]
Jennifer here.
Alan Manoian [0:25]
And Tom is here.
Larry Graham [0:25]
Tom.
Toni Mooradd [0:27]
Tony is here.
Mitchell Lowe [0:28]
Mitchell is here.
John Crespi [0:29]
John is here.
Jennifer Crawford [0:32]
Joanne is here.
Alan Manoian [0:34]
Hi.