Page 8 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, July 31, 2020 Planning Department back at full strength Town manager announces hiring of new director of Planning and Economic Development By Mark E. Vogler T he director of planning and economic development has been considered a key position at Town Hall – but one which has been vacant for about 33 months. Finally, Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree thinks he’s found the right person for that hard-to-fi ll-job. Late Wednesday afternoon, Crabtree announced his appointment of Christopher Reilly as the Town’s new Director of Planning and Economic Development. “I am pleased to welcome Christopher to the role of Director of Planning and Economic Development for the Town of Saugus,” Crabtree said in a press release announcing the hiring. “Christopher brings extensive experience in planning and development, knowledge of municipal planning, and technical training, all of which will be of great benefi t to the residents of Saugus and the community as a whole,” the town manager said. Reilly, 56, has been the Director of Planning for the Town of Billerica for about fi ve years. He replaces Stephen T. Cole, who resigned in November of 2017 after serving just 14 months in the position. Cole’s departure was followed seven months later by the resignation of Town Planner Krista Leahy – which left two vacancies in the important two-person offi ce for about 18 months. Reilly off ers “a wealth of experience” Crabtree fi lled one of the positions last December when he hired Alexander C. Mello as the town’s new Senior Planner. With the recent hiring of Reilly to join Mello, the Planning and Development Department is back at full strength for the fi rst time in three years. A.B.C. CIGAR 170 REVERE ST., REVERE (781) 289-4959 Same Location * Same Service for 48 Years! EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE: Christopher Reilly, Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree’s choice to fi ll the long-vacant director of planning and economic development post, has held municipal planning or economic development positions in six other Massachusetts communities. 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Reilly actually began his new position last month, but Crabtree allowed him to get oriented before making the announcement this week. Prior to being Billerica’s Director of Planning, Reilly served as the Director of Planning and Land Use Permitting for the Town of Lincoln, Mass. Reilly’s career in municipal planning includes these past positions: Director of Community and Economic Development Authority for the Town of Wareham, Director of Economic Development for the Town of Salisbury, Town Planner for the Town of Reading and Assistant Planner for the City of Quincy. Reilly holds a Master of Science in Planning and Policy Development, a Master of Arts in Geography, and a Bachelor of Arts in Geography, all from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. He also completed a Graduate Exchange Program from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School, and he was a Special Graduate Student in Planning at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), according to Crabtree. In addition, Reilly is certifi ed from the American Institute of Certifi ed Planners and he holds a certifi cate from the Collins Center for Public Management – Supervisory Leadership Development Program. Reilly’s role in Saugus As Director of Planning and Economic Development, Reilly will manage all shorter term, intermediate and longer range master planning within the community, the town manager said. “He will support the Town’s continued initiatives and efforts with the following: land use planning; energy, housing and open space projects and initiatives; infrastructure needs assessments; and economic Development,” Crabtree’s press release stated. Crabtree decided to create a two-person Planning and Development Department after losing the town’s popular Economic Development Officer, Robert Luongo, in early 2016. The town manager had great expectations that Luongo’s replacements – Cole and Leahy – would help the town manage its economic growth along the Route 1 commercial corridor. But they didn’t stay long and it proved challenging for Crabtree to fill their vacancies. In the midst of the vacancies in the Department of Planning and Development, the Annual Town Meeting last year took steps to slow down development along Route 1. Town Meeting approved Article 4, which was requested by Crabtree. It orders that no new building permits be issued for the construction of multifamily dwellings consisting of three or more dwelling units in any zoning district in the town for a period of two years. Crabtree said the temporary moratorium was necessary because the town has been experiencing an unanticipated increase in the construction of multifamily dwellings.
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