Saugus seeks to reshape square

SAUGUS – Cliftondale Square may soon become a mixed-use development with first-floor retail and apartments above.Robert Luongo, the town?s economic development officer, sat down with the Economic Development Committee, consisting of Town Meeting members and Town Manager Scott Crabtree, to discuss the next steps Monday evening.Luongo said they first have to identify the issues and why some of the businesses aren?t as profitable as they might be before they begin to make improvements and rezone the square.Luongo said he has devised a marketing plan for what types of businesses attract residents. He said about 18 months is a feasible timeline for the planning stages, as there are a number of steps that must be taken.Crabtree said mixed use can make the square a place of commerce and convenience for residents and the neighborhood. He cited downtown Wakefield and Melrose as good examples.Crabtree said competition is tough for the current businesses, with Square One Mall less than a mile away on Route 1, with some of the larger-market stores.?While a computer or a cupcake store can have good intentions, they?re not sustainable,” Crabtree said. “They have a tough time making it in Cliftondale and keep having turnover, or they have to downsize.”Crabtree said a karate and fitness studio, Subway, Pennyworth?s and Hoffman?s are just a few of the types of businesses that Cliftondale has seen come and go.?Many of these shoppers have abandoned the area for the more robust retail offerings in other sections of the town and surrounding communities,” the report said.The square is home to a number of small locally owned businesses, such as nail and hair salons, banks, small markets and eateries, a florist, a jewelry store, the post office and several churches.Town Meeting member Peter Manoogian suggested the area is in need of physical improvements.?It looks shabby,” Manoogian said. “It really does.”Christopher Finn, fellow Town Meeting member who also serves on the committee, suggested that beautifying the area by adding trees, especially around the post office, which generates a lot of foot traffic, would be a good start.The geographic area of Cliftondale Square is defined as the parcels abutting Lincoln Avenue, Central Street to Fairview Avenue, Jackson Street from the Cliftondale Rotary to Bond Place, and those abutting Essex Street from the rotary to Mount Vernon Street.