LYNN — Two dozen neighbors Tuesday night raised concerns about flooding, wildlife destruction, and blasting they fear could arise from a proposed Judge and Quinn roads development.
Board Chairman Robert Stilian and members Stephen Upton, Paul Price and David Angelli tabled developer Flamino Lanzillo’s eight-home proposal and did not take a vote on it at the request of City Councilor-at-large Brian Field speaking on behalf of Ward 1 Councilor Wayne Lozzi, who could not attend Tuesday’s meeting.
Field said Lozzi plans to schedule a neighborhood meeting on the development, and the Conservation Commission, which discussed the project on Jan. 21, plans to discuss it again on Feb. 18.
The Planning Board has no set meeting schedule but Stilian said it will schedule another meeting on Lanzillo’s proposal once Planning Board member William Maher, who was absent Tuesday, is able to attend.
Lanzillo, who has a development track record in Lynnfield, Middleton, and Revere, wants to build off Quinn Road and paralleling Judge Road. The streets are located in a hilly, ledge-filled neighborhood off Lynnfield Street.
Two of the homes are slated to be built with a shared driveway off Quinn Road with the others grouped around a proposed, 400-foot cul-de-sac called Lanzillo Lane.
“I look forward to building according to all zoning regulations currently in place,” Lanzillo said at the start of the hourlong meeting.
That did not appear to be sufficient assurance for neighbors like Judge Street resident Evan Luongo, who is worried about flooding and blasting if homes are built behind his house.
“I would have a road directly next to my house pouring water into my 45-degree pitched yard. If they blast up there, I’m getting damage,” Luongo said.
Sue Carroll, speaking on behalf of neighbor Kathleen Connell, voiced concerns about traffic on Quinn and Judge. The streets wind and curve up and down the neighborhood’s hills.
Samuel Vitali, Lanzillo’s attorney, said the Fire Department is responsible for pinpointing properties in need of pre-blast surveys prior to ledge removal work. Apple Blossom Lane resident Barbara Wojciechowski said her home sustained blasting damage from a previous development’s construction.
“Our foundation has cracks in it,” she said.
Lanzillo’s Quinn Road shared driveway proposal earned criticism from Stilian, the city’s parking director, who said shared drives are more nuisance than convenience.
“What if one neighbor parks there in a snowstorm and the other neighbor can’t get out? It’s a constant problem,” he said.
He also criticized Lanzillo directly after neighbors accused the developer of “smiling” during their comments.
“As a developer you should treat our citizens with ultimate respect,” Stilian said.
Lanzillo following the hearing said he was simply smiling because he is a “happy” person.
Neighbors urged the board to also view Lanzillo’s proposal with an eye toward preserving the neighborhood’s mix of suburban yards bordered by thickly-forested wetlands harboring deer and other animals who migrate from Lynn Woods.
“We should have a buffer zone. What’s the plan to keep the neighborhood the way it is?” asked Judge Road resident Judi Langella.
