Essex Town Meeting Rejects Sewer Expansion for Downtown 16-Unit Development

ESSEX — May 5, 2025 — Essex Town Meeting votes down sewer expansion for proposed 16-unit downtown development at 44 Main Street. Voters rejected Article 26, which would have allowed prospective owners Robert C. Coviello and Susan Coviello to purchase up to 3,170 additional gallons per day of sewer capacity for a proposed mixed-use building with up to 32 bedrooms and ground-floor commercial space. The article failed on a voice vote after a hand-count teller tally of 227-to-106 approved an amendment adding no fewer than two deed-restricted affordable housing units at 60 percent of area median income — a condition moved by resident Tom Daniel. Neighbor Tony Bevilacqua, whose family has operated at 40 Main Street for nearly 70 years, read a public statement warning of blasting risk to a 175-year-old home 30 feet from the site and calling the proposed structure, at more than 11,000 square feet per floor, larger than the town brewery. Town Administrator Brendan Zabriski confirmed roughly 38,000 gallons per day of unused capacity remained in Essex's agreement with Gloucester, enough for the project if approved.