PEABODY — The City Council recently took a step toward taking more control of residential development downtown.

Councilors last week supported Council President Arthur Athas' request that multiple-family homes in the city's central business (BC) zone require a council-issued special permit. They also endorsed Athas' request that rooming houses in two residential zones and the central business zone require a special permit.

In a letter to his colleagues, Athas said that the changes would allow for more input and oversight of development in the downtown area.

The council forwarded the proposed changes to the Planning Board, which will hold a public hearing and make a recommendation back to the council. The council will then hold a hearing of its own before voting to formally enact the changes.

Mayor Michael Bonfanti supports both proposals. He pointed out that they reflect what was included in a broad zoning revision that the Community Development Department crafted with the help of a city-hired consultant. The revision addresses an array of issues, including design guidelines, building-height limits and parking.

But a handful of councilors, including Athas, are wary of high-density condominium or apartment developments downtown. The council, after heated debate driven primarily by what type of residential development should be allowed downtown, has not taken up the zoning overhaul since the fall of 2007.

In the meantime, the council has tweaked various regulations. It approved a change that makes it easier to put retail shops and auto dealerships along a portion of Route 1 north — from the Carriage House Motel up to just beyond the Golden Banana. Recently, the council made package stores and nonprofit social clubs allowable by special permit in industrial zones.

Bonfanti would prefer that the council take a more comprehensive approach, but he said he didn't object to the "piecemeal" method "as long as things are getting done."