SAUGUS — The Saugus Zoning Board of Appeals recently issued a continuance on the discussion about the apartment plans for the Kowloon Restaurant property. Despite the continuance, resident Sarah Petruzzelli was still given the opportunity to comment, as it was a public hearing.
Petruzzelli approached the board about requiring the property to have an age restriction of 55 years.
The Kowloon property proposal includes 198 apartments within two buildings, one of which will hold the Kowloon Restaurant.
“I want to clearly place on the record that I do not support approving this project as unrestricted housing,” she said.
Unrestricted housing typically refers to housing that is open to all ages, while age-restricted housing allows limits to be set on who can live in the housing.
“If the Zoning Board of Appeals is going to consider granting the relief necessary for nearly 200 apartments on this property, I believe the development should be permanently restricted to residents ages 55 and older,” Petruzzelli said.
She touched on how Saugus needs options for older residents looking to downsize who don’t wish to leave town.
“A 55 and older development at this location could meet that need, allowing existing residents to remain in town and potentially make larger homes available for larger families,” she said.
Petruzelli said that the proposal consisting of just one-bedroom apartments makes an age-restricted model reasonable.
“I would also like the board to determine, with guidance from town counsel, what legal mechanisms would be necessary to ensure that any 55-and-older commitment is permanent, recorded, and enforceable rather than a temporary promise that could later be removed,” she said.
Board Chair Tom Traverse said that Petruzelli’s comments were very well thought out, but that he believes she should repeat them when the hearing opens up at a later date since they unanimously voted for a continuance, and she agreed.
“Part of it is, what’s coming before us now, is relief for things in the parking lot,” Traverse said, noting that it had already gone through the Board of Selectmen.
Traverse said he has no issues with a 55-and-older development.
Petruzelli said that she believes developments like that would meet an important need in town.
