PHOTO BY PAULA MULLER
Stephen Cole, director of planning and development for Saugus, and Krista Leahy, the Saugus town planner, look over the Open Space and Recreation Inventory Map at Town Hall.
By BRIDGET TURCOTTE
SAUGUS — Several large-scale projects proposed for the town in the past year are expected to start shaping up in 2017.
Demolition of the former Route 1 Miniature Golf & Batting Cages site and the approval of a foundation permit for WoodSpring Suites are among several major economic development milestones the town saw in 2016, said Krista Leahy, who assumed the role of town planner in August.
The $120 million development under construction at the former miniature golf site will include 250 apartments, two hotels, shops and a parking garage.
After nearly six decades, the golf course closed in September. Michael Barsamian, a partner in the project, bought the iconic orange 20-foot tyrannosaurus rex for an undisclosed price and plans to install it next to the new hotel along with a pitch and putt net. Meanwhile, it’s still in the same spot overlooking Route 1.
Leahy, who works in the newly-created planning and development department with Director Stephen Cole, said when she began she hoped to offer a set of fresh eyes on ongoing projects and see them through.
“The beginning of utilizing the new zoning will definitely be seen in 2017,” Leahy said.
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Town Meeting approved a rezoning of the major arterial commercial strip in May 2015 that allowed for mixed residential and commercial use and established a new, more transparent protocol for interested developers. In 2017, residents can expect to see the resulting construction.
Essex Landing is among the first projects under the new zoning.
TB Holdings Inc., an entity managed by Barsamian and Michael Touchette, bought a vacant 1.2-acre site next to the golf course in 2013 for $3.3 million, and they closed on the 1.4-acre golf parcel in September for $1.4 million.
Saugus’ beloved doughnut shop, Kane’s Donuts, recently announced its newest location will be among the development’s destination shops. The cafe-style shop is expected to open in December and plans include a drive-through.
“Essex Landing has quite a large site that they’ve got to clean up and level,” said Leahy. “It might be more of a process — but I think you’ll see that WoodSpring is well underway.”
WoodSpring Suites will be constructed at the former Cap World Truck Accessories & Trailers site at 832 Broadway this year. The $9 million hotel will be a four-story building with 122 rooms and parking. The units, of various sizes, will feature kitchenettes.
The project has gone through a review process and received suggestions from several community groups which helped shape the design, according to Stephen Martorano, senior project manager at Bohler Engineering, the developer.
The hotel will, ideally, accommodate someone visiting the area for work, he said. It will also be helpful to those who are in the process of moving and may have sold their home before they are able to move into a new one.
Interest in the Hilltop Steak House site was another 2016 turning point. AvalonBay purchased the property and is planning a development that includes apartments at the rear of the site and retail space in front.
“The Hilltop should be presenting to the planning board within the next few meetings,” Leahy said. “The community will see a little bit more about how that project will unfold.”
But revitalization plans expand beyond the major thoroughfare.
“Even though Route 1 is a prominent feature in town, there’s more to be done than just Route 1,” Leahy said. “There’s a big asset to the open space in town. We’ll spend the spring and summer time looking for ways to get funding to get more usable open space for the community members.”
Last week’s approval of the town’s Housing Production Plan will influence residential development over the next five years. The plan was developed over a series of public forums to meet the need for affordable and market rate housing, and reach the state’s mandatory 10 percent affordable housing goal.
It outlines strengths and weaknesses within the town’s housing market and presents strategies for achieving a healthy mix of housing types and tenure options moving forward. Saugus received a $20,000 state grant to develop the plan.
Town Manager Scott Crabtree could not be reached for comment.
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte.