ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Construction of apartment buildings in West Lynn, such as 130-unit St. Stephen’s Tower apartments on Pleasant Street, would require city council approval under a proposed zoning change.
By THOMAS GRILLO
LYNN — If two city councilors get their way, construction of apartment buildings in West Lynn will be a lot more difficult.
“We are trying to maintain the integrity of our neighborhood,” said Jay Walsh, Ward 7 city councilor. “We want some say in what gets built in a district that consists of mostly one- and two-family homes.”
On Tuesday, Nov. 29, the Planning Board will hold a public hearing to consider a controversial zoning change that would limit new home construction to one- or two-family dwellings. If approved, developers would be required to seek approval from the City Council for anything larger.
But the proposal is expected to face opposition from developers who say the plan would halt multi-family home building in West Lynn at a time when demand is strong and the city’s revitalization is underway.
“This idea would be bad for Lynn,” said Michael Procopio, co-owner of Procopio Enterprises Inc. “The city is in the midst of a renaissance, and part of that is due to good development. Changing the zoning would put a stop to that. It seems to be a little reactionary and a not-in-my-back-yard kind of thing.”
The Saugus-based company recently opened Needhams Landing, a 42-unit luxury waterfront apartment complex near the General Electric Co. River Works. They have approvals for two apartment buildings on Fairmont Avenue that would contain 100 units.
Walsh said the zoning, which dates back to the 1920s, when homes were needed to house GE workers, must be updated.
“Given the real estate explosion in Lynn, developers are gobbling up parcels everywhere and building apartment buildings that don’t fit the neighborhood,” he said. “We just want to have a say in any new construction and these new buildings should certainly not be built as of right without input from neighbors.”
Peter Capano, Ward 6 city councilor, said the impetus for the zoning change stems from several big apartment projects in the neighborhood that have exacerbated congestion in a section of the city that has narrow streets where cars park on both sides.
“They are building 20- 30- and 40-unit apartment buildings by right and with it comes lots of traffic,” he said. “All we are saying is have zoning that would require developers to seek council approval.”
Capano insists the new zoning would not prohibit apartment buildings. Instead, he said developers would be asked to hold public meetings with the neighbors about their plans and perhaps be asked to complete traffic and other impact studies.
For example, Capano said conversations are underway to turn the shuttered St. Michael’s Church on Summer Street into apartments.
“They’re talking about as many as 40 units at the church,” he said. “We are not trying to stop all these projects necessarily, but neighbors should be able to ask questions about impacts.” Michael Donovan, the city’s Inspectional Services Department chief, said though he doesn’t have a vote on changing the zoning rules, he has questions for the two councilors who are proposing the amendments.
“If we’re going to limit multi-family construction in Wards 6 and 7, why just those wards?” he asked. “What about the rest of the city?”
Gordon Hall, president of The Hall Co., a Lynn real estate firm, and chairman of the Lynn Business Partnership, an association whose mission is to improve Lynn’s economy and quality of life, said his group was unaware of the proposal.
“We don’t know anything about it, but would like to learn more,” he said.
Nicholas Meninno, owner of Meninno Construction, whose Lynn firm typically lays the groundwork for commercial projects, said the city is smart to examine the zoning in West Lynn.
“It needs some revision and it’s reasonable for the city’s policy makers to review an apartment proposal and not just allow it by a matter of right,” he said. “I just hope they don’t go from a very unrestricted apartment zoning to something that’s overly restrictive. That would be a mistake in the other direction.”
Thomas Grillo can be reached at [email protected].