THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 Page 5 Selectmen finally agree to a permit modification that will enable a proposed UPS Terminal to get extra hours By Mark E. Vogler R epresentatives of a company seeking to develop a former dump site on Route 107 in East Saugus to build a sorting facility that would be rented to UPS are so confident there won’t be any violations of its S-2 permit that they agreed to pay the town’s legal fees if it has to file a lawsuit in the future. That was one of seven new conditions that Hilco Redevelopment Partners (HRP) agreed to include in order to get the Board of Selectmen to approve a modification for its Special (S-2) Permit during a 90-minute discussion at Tuesday (Sept. 7) night’s Board of Selectmen meeting. “I feel the town is protected very well,” Board of Selectmen Vice-Chair Corinne Riley said. “I think we have a lot of teeth,” added Riley, who had suggested the legal fees be included as additional protection for the town. But even before that and other new conditions were added, Town Counsel John Vasapolli advised the town that they had adequate protection through enforcement of the town’s Zoning bylaws as it relates to the S-2 permit. “You do have strong enforcement power there,” Vasapolli said. “I think the strongest weapon here is the zoning bylaw,” he said. Selectmen voted 4-1 to grant the modification of HRP Saugus LLC’s S-2 permit that would allow UPS to operate between the hours of 2 to 6 a.m. Selectmen had approved HRP’s initial request for an S-2 permit by a 4-1 vote about 20 months ago. Only Selectman Michael Serino opposed the request after expressing concerns that allowing a motor freight terminal at the Salem Turnpike property would contribute to traffic woes and related problems for residents who live nearby. He warned of a potential spillover of heavy truck traffic onto Ballard Street and other connected roads – instead of the traffic being limited to Route 107. Andrew Chused, managing partner of HRP, told the board in July that UPS had emerged with a promising project that is better than what the board initially expected. Chused told selectmen the size of the 125,000 square foot building has been downsized to 87,000 square feet. He said it will produce 208 new jobs and the property that currently generates $110,000 in taxes to the town would generate ‘well over $300,000 – $7 million over the next 20 years. He told the board that UPS is interested in leasing the new building, but it requests the four additional hours of operation so that it can receive packages and load trucks with packages before they take to the streets during normal business hours. Without the hours, Chused said, UPS would probably back out of the deal. Yet, Serino continued to raise doubts about the lack of protection for the town in the future. He was the lone opponent during Tuesday night’s meeting. Serinio asked if HRP would be willing to reduce the size of the building allowed by the permit modification to 87,000 square feet. Chused said the company would be willing to drop it down to 100,000 square feet. “From Hilco’s perspective and the town’s perspective, we’ve hit the jackpot with UPS,” Chused told selectmen. “UPS is committed to the property somewhere between 20 to 40 years...We want to get going [on the project].” But Serino still opposed the project, requesting to continue the hearing until the town prepared a formal document. “I’d like to see the agreement in writing,” Serino said. “I don’t do business like this,” he said, before casting the lone opposition vote. Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano said he couldn’t understand why it was taking so much more time to approve the modification than the original request for the S-2 permit. “I’m perplexed as to why there’s an impasse here,” Cogliano said, noting that the concerns were over only four tractor trailer trucks hauling packages from Logan Airport to the future UPS sorting facility. “We’ve already approved a permit for hundreds of trucks [to operate during the hours of 6 to 2 a.m.]” “I hope we vote the affirmative because this is a homerun for both the citizens and the Town of Saugus,” Selectman Jeff Cicolini said. He noted the 20-year lease that UPS was prepared to sign. “I think we’ve given a lot of protection to the residents,” he said. Attorney Michael Scott, representing HRP, briefed selectmen on the specific conditions, which categorically state that UPS truck traffic can only use Route 107 upon entering and exiting the facility. The agreement prohibits any use of Ballard Street while requiring signage that prohibits any UPS truck traffic on Ballard Street between 2 and 6 a.m. HRP must also instruct its tenant to program its GPS on trucks for non-direct access to Ballard Street. The company must also post a camera in a location that overlooks Ballard Street in 30-day increments. “I think 28 is enough,” Cogliano said of the number of conditions. “This is a major homerun for the neighborhood,” he said. Precinct 10 Town Meeting Members Peter Manoogian and Martin Costello continued to express concerns. “There have been many broken promises in East Saugus,” Manoogian said. He suggested adding extra protection by drafting a bylaw for Town Meeting that would allow for a six-month or year-review of the applicant’s permit similar to the regulations adopted several years ago for the Aggregate Industries Saugus Quarry. “It gives the neighbors a level of protection beyond what they have now,” Manoogian said. But Cicolini, who reviewed Manoogian’s proposal, said he didn’t think it was necessary – and not worth holding up “a homerun” type project to go through Town Meeting. Certainly, the company wouldn’t want to add to their delays in getting the modification, Cicolini said. Costello said he is concerned about HRP “coming in here at the 12th hour with the modification” request. He also wanted to make sure that East Saugus residents are protected by the agreement. Veteran Selectman Debra Panetta supported the project as something that would be good for the community: “My only concern – I don’t think we have enough enforcement in our town.” Town Meeting Member Joe Vecchione of Precinct 2 said it shouldn’t matter whether officials lack confidence in enforcement of local zoning laws. “I strongly believe we should not be penalizing businesses from coming to town because of enforcement issues,” he said.
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