Saugus Planning Board Chairman Peter Rossetti has few rivals when it comes to his knowledge of town government, so we cast a concerned eye on the Route 1 zoning change approved overwhelmingly at last Tuesday’s special Town Meeting.
Rossetti voted against the “business highway sustainable development zoning” proposal after voicing strong objections about the change’s ramifications.
He said the zoning change’s aim of balancing the ratio of residential and commercial development on Route 1 could backfire on the town by scaring off developers.
Rossetti warned that if developers got cold feet about building on Route 1’s Saugus stretch at the same time an economic downturn led to building vacancies on the highway, the town could lose property tax revenue.
“We should be considering the big picture,” urged Rosetti.
Seeing the big picture on Route 1 has always been a challenge for Saugus.
Left to its own devices, Route 1 has been a commercial engine for the North Shore all the way through Hilltop Restaurant’s heyday and the rise and fall of Weylu’s owner Rick Chang.
Saugus imposed a residential building moratorium on Route 1 two years ago and, at first glance, sustainable development zoning appears to be a town attempt at keeping the brake pedal pressed down on residential development.
Town Meeting member Joe Vecchione proposed the zoning change with Board of Selectmen member Michael Serino out of concern that Route 1 residential development could increase town public safety and public school costs.
Vecchione, who initiated a call for Cliftondale Square’s revival earlier this year, also warned that residential development on Route 1 means “every new unit is a new car on the road.”
Time will tell if Town Meeting launched Saugus into the role of unnecessary meddling on Route 1 by initiating a commercial development mandate. The former Newburyport Turnpike has seen a century of commercial success and if Rossetti’s concerns prove true, then the town will have overplayed its hand in terms of regulating Route 1.
