Lynners plot Big Box strategy

LYNN – A group of Lynn neighbors, many residents of the Fay Estate, will hold a strategy meeting Saturday aimed at thwarting the construction of a Lowe’s Home Improvement store and expansion of a Walmart just over the Salem line.The 11 a.m. gathering at 16 Coolidge Road, home of John Walsh and Deborah Smith Walsh, was planned in the wake of meetings before the Salem Planning Board where those perplexed by the sprawling commercial project offered vociferous and heated objection.On the drawing board is a plan to build a new Lowe’s, increase Walmart’s footprint by half, enlarge the Meineke auto service on the site and make way for a municipal water storage tank. The plan includes purchasing a large chunk of the Lions Club camp to make way for the stores.Opponents of the plan have since started a petition drive, created a FaceBook page and enlivened Internet blogs across the nation to elicit support for their predicament. City Councilor-at-large Daniel Cahill, who recently purchased a home that would look up at the big box stores, has been among the most outspoken critics.Cahill is joined by Rep. Steven Walsh and Rep. Robert Fennell, both Lynn Democrats, who have been attending the Salem meetings and conferring with Salem officials. Fennell lives in the Fay Estate.Salem Mayor Kimberley Driscoll repeatedly has said she will listen to all sides, but remains adamant the project is a good fit for both cities, generating about 100 jobs, $225,000 in new annual tax revenue, and making possible construction of the water tower.At a Salem Planning Board meeting in mid-April, the furor was over what opponents to the project contend are out-dated traffic data collected in 2004. The Kennedy Development Group was under fire as its representatives requested a special permit. Jason Plourde, a traffic engineer hired by the company, told the board traffic along Highland Avenue would lessen once the project is completed. Plourde noted that population in the area decreased from 1997 to 2004, and the accident history at intersections along the busy highway is below state average. The project would attract an estimated 1,020 additional cars on weekdays, he said.Norman Cole of Lynn, whose home is in the vicinity, challenged Plourde’s figures by citing from a recent Environmental Notification Form filed with the state Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, which indicates traffic will increase by an additional 5,960 vehicles per day, he said.”The state says it will be closer to 6,000 additional cars. I don’t know where these other people got their numbers,” Cole said. “What this is really about is corporate greed. This is Lowe’s trying to put Home Depot out of business.”Residential abutters, particularly those living in Lynn, have raised concerns about the environmental impact and the project’s elevation, which would site the Lowe’s store high above area homes.