SAUGUS — The Planning Board voted unanimously to issue a recommendation that Town Meeting not approve the Cliftondale Square Zoning Overlay proposal submitted by Joe Vecchione that seeks to revitalize the square, in part by permitting the construction of new housing in the long-declining area for the first time in decades.
The proposed overlay appears on the annual Town Meeting warrant as Article 21, and if the board’s meeting is any indication, it will draw heated debate and discussion on the floor of Town Meeting.
Vecchione, a Town Meeting member from Precinct 2 and the former chair of the Cliftondale Revitalization Committee, drafted the article after a pair of well-attended public forums where he sought feedback from Town Meeting members and other community members.
Vecchione gave a detailed presentation to the board, explaining that talk of revitalization in Cliftondale Square dates back decades. He cited a report from 1990 that identifies zoning as a possible answer to the square’s issues.
“Going back 41 years of studies that we’ve done here, zoning is the one thing that has been impressed in those reports, but we have not addressed it in town,” he said, adding, “Look at Cliftondale Square today, I don’t think anybody’s proud of it.”
Buildings in the square are decrepit and riddled with accessibility issues and infrastructure in the area writ large is crumbling, Vecchione said, making it unlikely the town will be able to attract the kinds of businesses it wants to see in Cliftondale.
The overlay would permit “modestly-scaled” mixed-use developments in the area, with a required commercial space on the first floor and a cap of 40 feet in height. Vecchione’s proposal does allow for the possibility of construction up to 50 feet, but only if the Select Board approves a special permit application.
But, opponents of the overlay were quick to point out that the board has rarely, if ever, rejected a permit application on the basis of height.
Beyond permitting new development, the overlay is “a vessel to create opportunities for economic growth at neighborhood-scale as well as to support and enhance” an area that has “seen stagnancy, disinvestment, and inaction for decades,” Vecchione said.
Vecchione’s proposal also addresses parking in the square by creating a 15-foot-minimum rear setback for new developments and requiring one visitor space for every four residential units.
Vecchione sought to dispel the notion that his proposal would bring development akin to the scale of what the town has seen on Route 1 to Cliftondale, noting that if every parcel included in the overlay were to be developed, 143 new apartments would go into the square. Excluding the post office, church, and MEG building, that number drops to 85.
Other zoning overlays in town, including the Waterfront district and the Historic Mill district, permit 707 apartments and 251 apartments, respectively, he said.
Vecchione also sought to fend off concerns that the proposal would create a drastic increase in the amount of traffic flowing through the area, noting that commercial uses generate far more traffic than residential uses.
Select Board Chair Anthony Cogliano spoke in favor of Vecchione’s proposal during the meeting, saying he didn’t want to see the revitalization of Cliftondale Square to go the same way as the third fire station, which was talked about at forums and public meetings but ultimately no action was taken.
“Although we do have a couple of new stores in Cliftondale, that is not revitalizing Cliftondale,” he said.
Selectman Michael Serino spoke against the overlay, expressing a bevy of concerns about the proposal and asking the board not to recommend it to Town Meeting. With a pair of large developments going up in Revere not far from the square, adding additional residences in Cliftondale would compromise the quality of life and character of the community, Serino said.
“Is changing the zoning in Cliftondale Square worth 143 apartments when you already have 14,500 residents in the area within a mile now?” Serino asked. “I don’t think so.”
Precinct 6 Town Meeting member Jeannie Bartolo told the board she had received 101 calls about the proposal — 100 from people opposed to it and just one in favor.
Precinct 9 Town Meeting member Robert Long described Vecchione’s proposal as an “urban redevelopment project” and identified traffic as the biggest problem the square faces.
One of Vecchione’s fellow Precinct 2 Town Meeting members, Bob Camuso, spoke in favor of the proposal, acknowledging the issue of traffic but blaming it on non-Saugus residents cutting through the square on their way to Revere or Lynn.
“We got a chance to do something down here instead of doing nothing. Everybody wants to point out things that are wrong down there but what is their solution?” he said. “I hope you see the full picture with what he’s trying to do here.”
Planning Board Vice Chair Jeannie Meredith, a lifelong resident of the area, was the most vocal opponent of the proposal on the board, saying she believed Cliftondale was beginning to revitalize itself with the opening of six new businesses in the area. Traffic backups in the area are near-constant, and cars “fly through our neighborhoods,” she said.
The overlay represents an opportunity for Saugus to carefully plan its future, Meredith said.
“We still have in the pipeline currently thousands of more apartments that are going to be coming up that we have no say over,” she said. “This we do have say over because changing the zoning allows it.”
The Shining Stars preschool in the square could play a major role in revitalization, Meredith said, with parents dropping off their children and patronizing local businesses afterward.
Meredith argued that the public was told parking was the biggest issue facing the square, and noted Town Meeting’s approval of a pair of properties in Cliftondale where a municipal parking lot is set to be constructed.
“My concern is that as a taxpayer, we supported this, we acquired this parking, and now what? Did we acquire this parking for these buildings? Because if there’s no parking now for current residents, where are we going to put parking for 140 units?” she asked.
Vecchione offered that parking is addressed in the overlay, but Meredith said “I don’t see it.”
A motion made by Meredith to not recommend the proposal was carried by a 3-0 margin. Planning Board Chair John O’Brien said he saw “a lot of downfalls” in the proposal, adding that parking in the square has to be addressed before anything.
“Why did the town buy those properties if they’re just going to be taken over by condo-parkers?” O’Brien said. “The only person that spoke in favor didn’t deny the traffic issue.”
Vecchione said he was looking forward to bringing the proposal before Town Meeting.
“The decision by Planning Board was one I fully expected and anticipated long before the public hearing took place, given the historical decision-making by the members of it and unwavering active opposition from one member before the article was even drafted. It reinforces the reasons I stepped down from Planning Board last year,” he said. “I am confident Town Meeting members will recognize this sorely needed next step towards revitalizing Cliftondale.”
“I sincerely hope we can get over this hurdle so we’re not back here in 10 years with another expensive study, talking about the same things, with the same recommendations that have not been acted upon asking, ‘What happened to Cliftondale?’” Vecchione added. “It’s been a trend in Saugus that I’m hoping to break.”
