SAUGUS — The Board of Selectmen did not vote on the special permit for height restrictions submitted by the Wong family for proposed plans for multi-use apartment buildings on the Kowloon property. 

The members, instead, voted Tuesday night to have the plans go in front of the Planning Board at its next meeting, with an engineer present, to answer a variety of questions regarding the density, zoning, parking, and the number of buildings and units. 

The special permit for height restriction was brought in front of the Board of Selectmen months ago to allow the developers (the Wongs) to construct two buildings with six floors, as opposed to the maximum zoning limitations of four floors.

The meeting grew contentious, as some members were strongly against approving the permit request and others in favor, but four votes in favor were needed to pass it. 

The main topics of debate were regarding the number of buildings, the density of the project, and the parking situation. 

The current plan includes two buildings, which Michael McKeown — from the architect firm working on the project, Dennis Mires, The Architects — said will make the property less dense and give neighbors a good buffer zone. 

With the plan for two buildings, McKeown said there will be parking in the back and at least one space for each unit, with 220 units being proposed for the five-acre property. 

In regards to the density, McKeown said they are allowed 70-percent building coverage on the lot and the current plan is under 20 percent. 

“That is deliberately pulling square footage towards the front of the site to create a nice (zone) in the back,” McKeown said. 

Some members think the project is too dense all together, with others asking why the developer doesn’t just build three buildings instead of two taller ones. 

Board member Jeff Cicolini, who was in favor of approving the permit, said he does not support having three buildings because that would entail underground parking, which the town’s fire chief told him is more of a safety hazard. Cicolini also said neighbors he’s spoken with would prefer two buildings instead of three, so the property is less dense and there is more space between their homes and the new buildings.

Board member ​​Corinne Riley also spoke with neighbors who preferred two buildings. 

“In my opinion, we should listen to the ones that this is going to affect the most, and those are the abutters that live behind this project,” Riley said. 

Board member Michael Serino and Vice Chair Debra Panetta — both against approving the permit — said they would like to see detailed plans of the project if it were to have three buildings, which Chair Anthony Cogliano said would be a waste of time and money since the two buildings would be much less dense, would have one-bedroom units so there’s less stress on the schools, and would please the neighbors. 

Cicolini agreed with Cogliano on this, saying if the developers have to propose three buildings, “there’s a significant amount of cost associated with coming up with designs, structures, and plans for a three-building unit they don’t want to build.” 

After a back-and-forth debate between board members that lasted more than an hour, property owner Bob Wong spoke at the meeting, saying he has been in Saugus for the last 50 years and loves the town, and would never put a project in front of the selectmen that would cause them to be disappointed. 

“We’re only asking for 12 feet,” Wong said. “There are going to be big changes on Route 1 and you can’t hold back change and progress… For board members on the fence, I’ll tell you that you have my family’s word. We are not a developer that is going to just sell (and profit), we will continue to give back to Saugus.” 

Panetta said she wanted to hear what the Planning Board has to say about this project before voting against it to see whether they are in favor of two or three buildings and their views on the height increase and the parking situation. 

The Board of Selectmen is hoping to vote on this permit at the next meeting, as the proposed project plans will go in front of the town’s Planning Board in the coming weeks.