Image courtesy of Jordan Design PLLC

A Manchester apartment development that would have originally had 366 units is being shrunk to 150 units following a deal with the city. 

Market-rate developer Lansing Melbourne Group had originally been selected by the city of Manchester in 2021 to redevelop a large municipal parking lot on Orange Street, just off the city’s Elm Street downtown district. LMG had originally proposed a 366-unit rental project, including a 52-unit all-affordable building and a 540-space parking garage to be transferred to the city in order to replace spots lost by converting the site to housing. 

That project got city approval in 2023 but with capital markets for real estate developments of all kinds on ice, LMG reimagine the site into a 162-unit complex. 

The biggest piece will be a 150-unit, all-affordable apartment complex to be developed by NeighborWorks of Southern New Hampshire along with 12 townhomes and a two-level parking deck with 296 spaces, to be owned by the city. 

Due to its smaller size, the reimagined project doesn’t require zoning relief for density, however it will still need a conditional use permit from the city Planning Board to allow residential uses on its first floor and a technical waiver for the format its application uses.