SAUGUS — After months of discussions, including input from residents and the Malden Anglers, the Saugus Board of Appeals has officially closed the public hearing on the Broadway apartment project.
Residents were given one last chance to discuss the situation, providing their thoughts on waivers, parking, when the construction might start, and more.
Attorney Paul Haverty, who was representing the applicant, started the discussion on shared parking, which has continued to be up for debate in most meetings. This discussion specifically highlighted the bylaw and that the applicant did not cause any issues with said bylaw.
After a brief discussion on frontage, the residents were given the chance to speak. One question was about the sewer and whether the apartments could cause an overflow for the residents on Forest Street.
Project engineer Sean Reardon was able to answer, saying, “There will be adequate capacity in the sewer line. … We’ve done our due diligence to make sure that there is adequate supply. We’ll still have to prove that.” He continued that they have two ways of connecting to the sewer, with one going toward Hockey Town and Forest Street, and another being on-site.
“We have what’s called a three-to-one mitigation requirement. So when projects come online, they have to do an infrastructure improvement project or contribute capital to the town so that they can help reduce the amount of inflow into their sewer system at a three-to-one ratio,” he said.
Another question arose regarding the Tennessee Pipeline, which passed through a neighbor’s backyard. The neighbor was concerned that someone might cut through her yard because it was open for pipeline access. Some Board members asked if a fence could be placed, but it was confirmed that this was not a possibility as the pipeline must be accessible.
It was also asked if it could be said that no access would be given leading into Forest Street in the future. A resident mentioned there were cases where houses or properties were sold to companies and became access routes.
“We have no intention of connecting to Forest Street,” Reardon said.
Haverty also said they’d be happy to have a condition that prevented this from happening.
The Malden Anglers had questions about some of the waiver requests, specifically one that would waive the need for 60% phosphorus reduction and instead just follow the state laws on phosphorus. The main issue was that the specific waiver the Anglers had stated wouldn’t just waive phosphorus reduction but also other environmental stipulations.
It was pointed out that this was not the newest waiver, which only mentioned phosphorus. It was confirmed that the applicant only needed the 60% phosphorus removal requirement waived, which is well above the state regulation.
After questions were answered and the Board felt comfortable, the public hearing was officially closed. This is not the end of the conversation, though.
The Board will meet again for deliberation on its decision. The public will be allowed to attend the meeting, but cannot be a part of the conversation. Everything submitted in the past few months and comments made by the public will be taken into consideration during that meeting.
