SAUGUS — The town is seeking bids for the Cliftondale Square Shared Streets & Spaces project, an initiative to revitalize the area and make it an appealing destination for residents.
Saugus in July 2021 received a $98,000 grant from the state’s Shared Streets & Spaces program, which was aimed at making improvements to the Cliftondale area including the installation of ADA-compliant ramps, traffic calming, and space for outdoor dining. Earlier that year, the town established a nine-person Cliftondale Square revitalization committee to review ways in which the area could be overhauled to make it more attractive.
Town Manager Scott Crabtree said the bid, which closes on Nov. 3, entails modifications to pavement markings and traffic signage at the intersections of Essex Street, Jackson Street, and Lincoln Avenue, with the intent of creating different traffic patterns and configurations in the area that may be “more conducive for Cliftondale.” The project is also intended to improve the “function, capacity, and safety” of intersections and corridors leading to the area for cyclists and drivers.
The town is also seeking to reset existing traffic signs in various locations, and changing the sites of some signage and markings in an effort to improve the flow patterns in the area.
Cliftondale acts as a sort of second downtown for the town, along with Saugus Center, Crabtree explained, but, with Route 1 cutting through, it has been difficult for small businesses to thrive in the area with big box stores so conveniently located.
“As things have changed over the years, I think Saugus has a unique challenge of having Route 1 close by. When people in Saugus think ‘I need a pair of shoes, or I need a new shirt, or I need to get groceries, or I need to get my computer fixed, or I need to buy electronics’ they look at going up to Route 1 because it’s a location that’s easily found and simple to get to,” Crabtree said. “These big box stores, through the years, have put a lot of local businesses out of business in many small communities.”
Crabtree also pointed out the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses, with apps like DoorDash fueling a desire for convenience. He said part of the challenge the town faces with Cliftondale is attracting new enterprises and drawing residents to the area to support the existing restaurants and stores in the square.
“We’re trying to figure out ways through studies, analysis and public discussion, how to revitalize Cliftondale square and there’s been a lot of volunteers and groups that have really put a great amount of effort into this,” Crabtree said. “Just recently, the town with the support of Town Meeting, the Selectmen and the Finance Committee, purchased the North Shore Loan Center that is there to create parking. [We’re] looking at doing something with that in the near future that would help support new businesses and or restaurants in Cliftondale.”
Improved traffic flow and outdoor seating could go a long way toward boosting the revitalization efforts of the square, Crabtree said, explaining that the town is trying a number of different ideas to revamp the area.
“There’s different things out there, we’re trying different approaches and some of the low-hanging fruit and some of the bigger-hanging fruit, which is purchasing. One of the things that we identified is a limited amount of parking and that could be challenging to new businesses,” he said.
Charlie McKenna can be reached at [email protected].
