Senior Housing Takes Center Stage at Machon Reuse Hearing

Residents who came out to for Tuesday’s forum about reuse of the long-vacant Machon School learned that three of five concepts proposed involve senior housing.

The Lynn Daily Item reported that B’nai B’rith Housing, The Caleb Foundation and New Seasons Development all proposed converting the building into various forms of housing for seniors. Each proposed adapting the original 1920s building for the condos and demolishing the addition completed in 1963 in order to construct an addition or create space for parking.

The two other proposals involved mixed-use residential and commercial space and a privately operated educational and community center.

The proposals from a Request for Interest, Ideas, & Innovation (RFI) that closed in September. The RFI asked developers, architects and others for “ideas that could feasibly be brought to life at the old school property – taking into consideration (but not limited by) the lot itself, the building, zoning, and community feedback” from an earlier community forum.

Over the course of a few community forums, creating open green space on the site of the Machon School has been mentioned, a topic that came up again at Tuesday’s night’s discussion, according to the Lynn Daily Item.