ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Pictured is a run-off pipe that empties out behind Joe Carvalho’s house at 15 Laurine Road.
By BRIDGET TURCOTTE
SAUGUS — Neighbors are overflowing with rage over the $100 million project planned for the former Hilltop Steak House site with much of the anger focused on flood control.
About two dozen residents, who are tired of removing excess water from the nearby brook from their basements, spoke out about their concerns at a Planning Board meeting Thursday night.
“I think your project should be ended. That’s my opinion,” said Gilway Street resident Patricia Battaglia. “It’s a flood zone. You cannot play with a flood zone. My father watched that brook like it was God. You cannot put more water in it.”
Battaglia said removing water from her property has become so costly, she has taken out a second mortgage on her home.
Tempers rose during the board meeting with Stephen Martorano, senior project manager at Bohler Engineering, unable to complete his presentation on the matter because residents continuosly interrupted, shouting over one another.
“I’m not an engineer but if we have four days of rain, we’re going to flood as soon as that brook rises,” said Lisa Lavargna, a Gilway Street neighbor. “It comes through our cement floors. I’m tired of vacuuming up water.”
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The former Hilltop site is being redeveloped by AvalonBay Communities, a Virginia-based real estate investment trust that develops luxury housing and owns more than 43,000 units in 10 states. Plans include turning 13.9 acres of the site into a mixed-use development with residential and retail space. The frontage will house one story of retail space, and three four-story residential buildings will be in the rear. The residential space will have a total of 280 studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, and a one-story clubhouse with an outdoor swimming pool.
In a presentation last month, AvalonBay officials said they will put in new sewer, drain and water systems, with internal looping around the property, creating a good water supply to retail services and fire protection. Two existing service lines will go through conservation wetlands, which are being preserved in the back of the site.
A roof runoff going into an existing pipe will also help with drainage. The drainage will reuse the existing connection to Forest Street, but everything on-site will be brand new, and the development will change run-off away from the parking lot, said Michael Roberts, AvalonBay senior vice president of development.
One acre of landscaping will be strategically spread throughout the site. The added vegetation will help to create a sound buffer, improve the air quality and address the water drainage concerns of abutters. The team does not have plans to touch the brook but Roberts maintained that plans to construct the residential and retail community include reducing stormwater runoff, not adding to it.
The water will be treated to remove sediment accumulating in water runoff. Landscaping at the back of the property will absorb some of the excess water, Roberts said. It cannot be redirected towards Route 1 because of Massachusetts Department of Transportation requirements.
“We’re putting as much as we can to the front while complying with the regulations,” he said.
Martorano said his team has studied the property to see where the water is leaving the site. Once the project is completed, it is expected to generate about 130,000 gallons of sewage each day, about 25 percent of the existing system’s 500,000 gallon capacity, he said.
A neighborhood behind a small wooded area at the rear of the property collects the water that exits the property, according to neighbors. A drain leads to a shallow swale and, eventually, a brook. Both overflow with rain and snow events.
The stream runs through the backyard of Joe Carvalho, a Laurine Road resident who believes the 2-foot wide pipe running beneath Forrest Street was installed illegally more than 55 years ago.
“They were finding swizzle sticks and napkins from the restaurant in the brook,” he said. “(Hilltop owner) Frank Giuffrida used to maintain it and dredge it. He’s been gone quite a while.”
Carvalho is collecting signatures from his neighbors and sending a petition to the Environmental Protection Agency.
“I want a pipe to take the water right to the brook, rather than to the swale,” he said. “It’s not only the Hilltop site but also Bernie and Phyl’s up on the hill. I can’t see how (water from) 14 acres can pour into a system designed for a neighborhood.”
“We understand the property is there and you’re going to build on it but you’ve got to do something different,” said Marie Russo, a Milano Drive resident.
Roberts, who visited the property for a site walk with the Conservation Commission Friday, said he wanted to reach out to neighbors to better understand the problem.
“Every time we get together, we learn something new,” he said. “We have a better understanding of the floodplains — we need a better understanding of the problems.”
A site visit with the Planning Board is scheduled for March 11.
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte.
