Big Box foes planning Lynn talk

LYNN – Opponents of a commercial development that would expand the present Walmart store and erect a Lowe’s Home Improvement Center plan to hold a Sept. 15 panel discussion.The discussion on the potential project along Highland Avenue is one day before a Salem Planning Board public hearing on the project.The East Lynn Community Association meeting agenda focuses on how potential construction of these so-called “Big Box” stores may affect Lynn, especially the abutting residential neighborhoods.The panel will include Lynn Councilor-at-large Daniel Cahill who lives in the vicinity, Ward 2 Councilor William Trahant Jr., and Spring Pond Advocates founder Alkatarina Pangiotakis of Lynn. The discussion begins at 7 p.m.The Planning Board public hearing on Sept. 16 is at 120 Washington St. in Salem, at 7 p.m.According to Pangiotakis, a member of the Lynn Historical Commission, Cahill could be impacted because his home is part of the Fay Estates neighborhood. The project could also affect Trahant’s constituents, she said.Pangiotakis founded the advocacy group in 2009 to lobby for the preservation of the land adjacent to or part of the development site.The Lynn City Council voted unanimously to oppose the project, as did Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy. Across the municipal border in Salem, that city’s councilors and Mayor Kimberley Driscoll favor the plan, which is expected to generate jobs and tax revenue.Those opposed to the plan contend automobile traffic will become more congested along Route 107 and drainage problems will worsen, both factors resulting in the devaluation of area homes and the destruction of historical lands and natural resources.Cahill, Trahant and Pangiotakis will discuss the development’s scope, impact and the procedural requirements it must satisfy, said Mary Trahan, the association president. “They also inform Lynn residents about what they can do to make their concerns known,” she said.The Kennedy Development Group has proposed to enlarge the Walmart, build a super-sized Lowe’s and expand the Meineke automotive repair shop on the site. To accommodate the project, the developers plan to purchase a tract of land owned by the Lions Club, which is home to a childrens’ summer program run by Camp Fire.