VFW post scraps plans for new Lynn home

LYNN – The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 507 has scuttled its plans to take over the defunct Shoemaker American Legion Post at 35 Lynnfield St.More than a dozen abutters attended the City Council meeting Tuesday prepared to fight the VFW on its plan to re-establish itself at the Shoemaker. The post has been without a home for nearly two years and went before City Council April 12 seeking permission to relocate from 90 High Rock St. to the Lynnfield Street building with its liquor license intact.Ward 1 Councilor Wayne Lozzi told the group prior to the start of the meeting they had already won the battle, the VFW would withdraw its petition.”You did a good job,” he told the group. “This showed citizens in action.”In a letter to the council attorney John Hartley wrote that while Post 507 still planned to seek a home within the city “where it has been for the past 65 years” it wouldn’t seek one at the Shoemaker Post. Hartley said withdrawing the petition would avoid a possible two-year delay in the process of finding another home.Lozzi explained that if the council had voted down the petition the VFW wouldn’t by law be able to file another petition to move elsewhere in the city for two years. That is also why the council allowed the petitioner to withdraw rather than simply voting the matter down, which some residents hoped would happen.”It would hurt them from going anywhere and I don’t think anyone wants that,” Lozzi said. “They’re not trying to do anything devious, they’re withdrawing because they don’t want to be denied an alternative location.”Residents fought the approval of the petition for several reasons but namely because the post was requesting a liquor license. Lilian Katz, who lives in the area, echoed many of her neighbors when she said she wasn’t opposed to veterans but she didn’t want a bar in her neighborhood.”And that’s what it would be,” she said.The VFW offered up a number of concessions that would have limited usage of the building and who could enter the premises but residents were also worried about parking issues, traffic, noise and litter.Once Lozzi told the residents of the post’s decision to withdraw he suggested they could leave without having to sit through the entire meeting.Ruth Wierenga, who lives across the street from the empty Shoemaker Post, smiled and said she would stay, just to make sure the petition was withdrawn. Her neighbors followed suit.”I am happy,” she said returning to her seat in council chambers, “but I want to sit and listen to make sure it’s the outcome we want.”Lozzi praised the residents for their follow through.”I admit I didn’t have a clear direction on this issue but you showed me what you wanted,” he said. “You came out and you called me and you worked together.””I think this is great . . . It just goes to show you how you can get things done,” Katz added. “We have a good bunch of neighbors and we want the best.”