Saugus officials, residents offer views on future of Route 1

SAUGUS – Saugus residents were asked to create a vision of what Route 1 could look like, but traffic concerns remained what Selectman Debra Panetta described as “the elephant in the room.”Metropolitan Area Planning Council regional planner Cynthia Wall sat in on a public forum hosted by the Economic Development Committee Monday at Town Hall to gather residents? comments in a first step toward possible rezoning on Route 1. Wall asked a group of 30 residents, business owners and town officials, “If you could come back in 20 years, what would you want Route 1 to look like?”Panetta said safety with the traffic was a huge concern, with the high amounts of accidents along the highway. She said she wished the road could become more pedestrian- and bike-friendly.One resident commented that the 50-mph speed limit was “ridiculous” in that it was too fast to get in and out of the parking lots along the highway. Committee member Peter Rossetti joked that, “The only time you do 50 mph is if you are in a parking lot or about to turn into one.”Panetta and Town Meeting member Al DiNardo worried about the traffic impact of the Walmart currently in development. DiNardo noted the heavy bottleneck at the Revere-Saugus line, referenced the disrepair of the roads and hoped the state would take a bigger role in repairing them.Rossetti said traffic, and the highway?s aesthetic, were both effecting the town?s revenue. “Nowadays people are just trying to get home,” he said. “They don?t tend to stop.”Many at the forum expressed a desire for more commercial diversity on Route 1. Wall began the discussion by mentioning that Saugus? portion of Route 1 had a lot of retail commercial property, which she said had lived out its projected 20-year lifespan.Former selectman Stephen Horlick said he would like to see more mixed-use property, adding floors to build up. For example, he suggested, a high-rise property with a restaurant on the first floor, topped by offices and maybe a few apartment-like residences.Though Horlick?s idea was popular in the group to increase revenue, resident Bill Brown gave a rebuttal. “I don?t think the solution is to turn Route 1 into a canyon of high-rise hotels,” he said.Town Manager Scott Crabtree reminded the group of the importance of development, referencing analysis by Northeastern University?s Barry Bluestone on the town?s potential for economic development. Crabtree said according to that presentation, the town needed to grow its tax levy in order to provide the same or better services. “One way to do that is growth,” said Crabtree. “We want to find out what people want and don?t want.”Committee member Peter Manoogian said the committee will continue to encourage resident comments and ideas on Route 1 development.