Saugus officials eager to partner with area planning council

SAUGUS – Hilltop Steak House owners aren?t the only ones being courted as development partners as the town seeks to build its own relationships for Route 1 planning.Town Manager Scott Crabtree said after working with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council in the development of the waterfront and Historic Mills plans, council reps expressed an interest in offering their expertise in designing zoning plans for the Hilltop property as well as “three to four other parcels on Route 1.”?Myself and Economic Development Coordinator Robert Luongo have established a good working relationship over the past year with MAPC,” said Crabtree. “They seem very interested in partnering with us, and we?re very interested in partnering with them.”Crabtree said council reps came out to Saugus in November and encouraged the town to put a proposal together for the council?s Direct Local Technical Assistance program for “planning ahead for housing economic development and preservation” for development along the town?s three-mile stretch on Route 1. The town proposed for the council to aid in the design of a mixed-use development plan to make the most of revenue on the site, in the hope to have new bylaws to propose before Town Meeting in the fall.?Hopefully we are awarded,” said Crabtree. “We?re trying to take advantage of all the opportunities out there and MAPC could be one of those opportunities.”