SAUGUS — An article approved unanimously at the February Special Town Meeting established a nine-person Cliftondale Square revitalization committee, which aims to transform the area into a thriving business district.
“The fact that it was a unanimous vote was telling that people do care that this district is hurt and needs some sort of taking a look at,” said Joe Vecchione, who drafted the article.
“Given the decline of the district for many years, expedited by this pandemic, I believe there is a window to begin revitalization efforts that have long been talked about but never implemented.”
The article was met with strong support by the rest of the town meeting.
“My support is 100 percent. Anybody who grew up near Cliftondale remembers what it was 30, 40, 50 years ago,” said Town Meeting Member Chris Riley at the meeting. “There is still a place in the world for local shops.”
The article was altered at town meeting to include six Town Meeting members appointed by the town moderator, two selectmen and the town manager or his designee.
Changes were also made to the article, from its original submission to avoid overlapping with the ongoing efforts of the Economic Development Committee, the Planning and Economic Development Department and the Town Manager.
Cliftondale has suffered in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, experiencing a rash of recent business closings, with the branch of North Shore Bank shutting down this September and the branch of Webster First Federal Credit Union closing in August. The Tumble Inn Diner, One Stop Market, and a hair salon also recently shut their doors.
While some new short-term rentals have been filling up these spaces, Vecchione reports, there is still significant work to be done to restore the square.
He hopes that zoning changes allowing mixed-use development could provide an incentive for businesses to invest in the area.
“It’s hard for people to want to invest in the square with such limited options,” said Vecchionne.
He also hopes that he can use the examples of other North Shore communities such as Peabody and Beverly, which have had success in revitalizing downtown areas.
“What have other communities done successfully?” he said. “They instituted a
“Main Street” program where the municipality and the private stakeholder are working together to create more vibrant downtown districts.”
The process of revitalizing Cliftondale Square has been ongoing for many years, beginning in the 1980s. The most recent action occurred in 2016 when a study was commissioned through a $10,000 grant through the Massachusetts Downtown Initiative to figure out what kinds of businesses the square needs.
Vecchione wants this committee to take the next step in this process, moving beyond identifying problems and working towards identifying solutions.
“It’s all about taking a hyper-local focus to the square and seeing what we can do,” he said. “It’s not about rehashing the issues. We know what the issues are. It’s about taking that logical next step to see how we can get it done.”
The committee will report to the next annual town meeting, and a final report with recommendations will be issued on or before the date of that meeting.
