Saugus panel to present waterfront zoning plan draft

SAUGUS – The Saugus Economic Development Committee is seeking another round of community comment for a plan to put a mixed-use overlay zoning plan on the Saugus waterfront.Similar to the plan Town Meeting approved for the Historic Mills district, the plan will provide incentives for developers to help revitalize the area. Committee member Peter Manoogian said currently the area appears to only be suited for a car dealership or junk yard with its flooding issues and proximity to the RESCO waste treatment plant. The overlay will create guidelines for building with new flood mitigation regulations and encourage a more “aesthetic” view of the water.The committee will be holding a meeting Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. at the Fox Hill Yacht Club on Ballard Street to share its first draft of the overlay bylaw and hear comments from Saugus “residents, businesses, town and state officials, stakeholders.” The draft was drawn from the committee?s first community meeting in August where it identified strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the area.Manoogian said there were 125 people at that first meeting, but he added that there hasn?t been much activity from residents since the draft was posted online for comment on the town webpage.?I?d like to think any, if not all, of the same people will return to hear the draft,” he said.Based on the comments made at the meeting Feb. 26, the committee will further revise the draft and then hear input from the Planning Board before submitting the plan for the Annual Town Meeting. Manoogian said start to finish that it was “a longer process” to make sure it was “properly vetted.”?We want to make sure that if there?s something people feel strongly about or had been overlooked, we have the conversation now rather than on the Town Meeting floor,” said Manoogian. “But that does not mean it can?t be amended on the Town Meeting floor.”In a release about the meeting, Economic Development Coordinator Robert Luongo said so far the public “is receptive to mixed used, that being residential and commercial, as long as environmental and flood mitigation measures are in place.”According to the release, area residents will be reminded of the event through the town?s reverse 911 system. For more information about the meeting, check out the Saugus Town Hall website or the Economic Development Department?s webpage on the Town Hall site or by calling 781-231-4105, ext. 108.