Editorial written by The Daily Item Editorial Board
Saugus Town Meeting member Joe Vecchione’s proposed Cliftondale Square Zoning Overlay District is exactly the kind of bold, forward-thinking strategy the town desperately needs as it seeks to revitalize the square. And, it seems, that’s exactly why it appears to face an uphill battle at Town Meeting.
Vecchione has long been at the forefront of the conversation surrounding Cliftondale, and served as chairman of the Cliftondale Revitalization Committee, which produced a report on the issues plaguing the square last year.
As part of that process, Vecchione looked into the bevy of previous reports produced about the square and its shortcomings. In reports dating back to the 1990s, he consistently found mentions of zoning.
“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,” Vecchione told the Planning Board last week, adding, “Look at Cliftondale Square today, I don’t think anybody’s proud of it.”
At its May 4 meeting, the Planning Board voted against recommending the overlay, which would allow for the construction of new housing in the square for the first time in decades, while simultaneously providing the economic conditions necessary for the types of businesses residents say they want to see in the square.
The main concerns raised by members of the board and Town Meeting members who spoke in opposition? Traffic and parking.
Vecchione has repeatedly acknowledged that traffic is a problem in the square. But, as he has pointed out, traffic is outside the scope of zoning. It seems, however, once the word “housing” is introduced, everyone tunes out.
It’s up to the Board of Selectmen, as the town’s traffic commissioners, and Town Manager Scott Crabtree to address the very real issue posed by congestion in the area.
As for parking, Vecchione has a plan.
In addition to the municipal parking lot set to go up on Lincoln Avenue and stretch to Jackson Street, the overlay would require a 15-foot rear setback for all new developments. Why? So residents would have a place to park, and wouldn’t take up space in the municipal lot or on Lincoln Avenue. Vecchione is also requiring the construction of off-street parking with each new development.
But — traffic and parking aside — at the core of the controversy appears to be Saugus’ staunch opposition to housing writ large.
Vecchione acknowledged that residents feel “traumatized” by large-scale developments on Route 1 that have dramatically changed the highway and the footprint of the town. While concerns about the character of the town being compromised by massive housing projects are valid, that simply isn’t what Vecchione is seeking to do.
According to Vecchione, a grand total of 85 apartments could go into the square, assuming the church, post office, and MEG building remain intact. The project would be nowhere near the scale of development on Route 1.
The absolute maximum height of a new development in Cliftondale Square would be 50 feet, and that could only be with the issuance of a special permit by the Board of Selectmen.
Surely the board would be responsive to residents’ concerns as they have been in the past, including as recently as the approval of a permit for Antonio Moura De Jesus’ tattoo parlor — which was prompted by resident petitions. If residents felt a development wasn’t the right fit for the neighborhood, it likely wouldn’t go forward.
By right, developments would be capped at a mere 40 feet and three stories, with a commercial space on the first floor. For Saugus to see the kinds of businesses it wants in the square, be it a sit-down restaurant, a brewery, or something else entirely, it needs to be flexible, and allow businesses the space they need to thrive.
Vecchione, an architect by trade, seems to understand this, and has poured hours of his time into coming up with solutions for the square.
Does Saugus really want Cliftondale Square to continue to languish? It certainly seems that way with the intense opposition to Vecchione’s proposal.
If Saugus truly wants to welcome a new population of young families, allowing for the construction of apartments in a potentially burgeoning economic square is a great way to start.
Vecchione himself is building a life for his young family in Saugus, and it seems the town wants to embrace the potential for a new generation of residents to guide its future.
Allowing residents to live in Cliftondale would, by default, allow them to build deeper relationships with the town of Saugus than those who live on Route 1 are able to. Route 1 residents have to drive everywhere they go, whereas Cliftondale residents would be able to stay local and walk to new businesses in the neighborhood. They would feel as if they were truly part of the close-knit Saugus community.
Supporting local businesses and preserving the small-town feel of the community is what residents say they want. So, isn’t Vecchione’s plan in line with that?
To be clear, the overlay won’t solve all the square’s problems. But it’s a step in the right direction and we urge Town Meeting to move forward with its passage.
“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 told The Item last week. “It’s been a trend in Saugus that I’m hoping to break.”
As fellow Town Meeting member Bob Camuso put it, “I hope you see the full picture with what he’s trying to do here.”
