Protect Our Homes - Saugus - Opposition of Project at 20 Bennett Highway

09/26/2026

https://youtube.com/watch?v=llumI7qj05o&is=UblhY--OiDojpHgo

Recorded & Streamed Live from Saugus Town Hall Auditorium

09/22/2026

09/18/2026

Saugus ZBA Meeting will be held on September 24, 2026 at 7PM, Town Hall Auditorium. Agenda item #1, 20 Rear Bennett Hwy. Town Council Jesse Schomer is expected to be in attendance to discuss the next steps for the petitioner's permit for this development project.

We are strongly encouraging all of our friends, Town representatives and neighboring households from the adjacent streets to this development property, including Norman Rd, Hayden Rd, Hood Street, Anawan Ave, Eustis Street to please attend this ZBA meeting. We need to stay informed of the options for this development project and voice any of our concerns as abutters and neighboring households to the town ZBA Board.

As always we are thankful for all of your thoughts, support, concerns, and general attention to this matter!

Anything in our Town of Saugus Massachusetts

09/17/2026

UPDATE: MA Housing Appeals Committee Rules in Favor of Saugus on Chapter 40B Safe Harbor. An important ruling for Saugus was issued by the Massachusetts Housing Appeals Committee (HAC) on September 8, 2026.

HAC determined that the Town of Saugus had achieved the Housing Unit Minimum under the state's Chapter 40B regulations when the developer filed its comprehensive permit application on December 3, 2025. The Committee therefore denied the developer's motion for summary decision and allowed the Saugus Zoning Board of Appeals' safe harbor motion.

What happens now?

The ruling does not automatically deny the proposed development. Instead, the stay on the local hearing has been lifted, and the case is being sent back to the Saugus Zoning Board of Appeals to resume the comprehensive-permit hearing.

Another important point: According to the ruling, an appeal of this particular decision to the courts cannot be taken at this stage. The ZBA hearing must first be completed, followed by a HAC decision on any subsequent appeal.

To conclude: The state Housing Appeals Committee agreed with Saugus that the Town had satisfied the applicable Chapter 40B Housing Unit Minimum when this application was filed. The development proposal itself now returns to the Saugus ZBA for further proceedings.

08/21/2026

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08/12/2026

They're coming!!!

Neighbors,

We wanted to make everyone aware of an important development that could affect our neighborhood.

Saugus has established a new Town Meeting Zoning Review Committee to review the town’s zoning bylaws and recommend possible changes. The committee plans to meet twice a month, and the public is invited to participate in its discussions.

One of the committee’s first actions will be a survey of Saugus residents asking for our opinions and concerns about zoning and development.

This is especially important to us because of the proposed 300-unit development at 20 Rear Bennett Highway / the former Weylu’s property, immediately adjacent to our established residential neighborhood.

When the survey becomes available, we especially ask everyone in the Hood Street, Anawan Street, Hayden Street, Norman Street, Essex Street and surrounding neighborhood to participate.

Our message should be clear:

• Protect our existing single-family neighborhood
• Protect our dead-end residential streets
• No development traffic through our neighborhood
• No vehicular or pedestrian connection from the development into our residential streets
• Address traffic and emergency-access concerns
• Address drainage, flooding and stormwater impacts
• Address impacts of blasting in such close proximity to existing homes
• Maintain appropriate buffers between a large development and existing homes

We are not saying that property cannot be developed. We are saying that a development of this size should be done with respect to the long existing neighbors and accessed from the Bennett Highway/Route 1 regional road network — not through our residential neighborhood.

Attached is the aerial showing the proposed development and its relationship to our streets.

We are monitoring the Zoning Review Committee and will let everyone know as soon as the resident survey is released.

Please share this with your neighbors. The more residents who participate, the stronger our voice will be.

PROTECT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD

08/08/2026

A recent Saugus ZBA meeting was held Thursday, July 23rd, agenda item #1, 20 Bennett Hwy 300 units, 40B permit, ZBA voted to postpone the discussion another 30 days, and will continue to be postponed until the MA Appeals Court has ruled on the petitioner's appeal. MA Appeals Court still needs to hear the appeal filed by the petitioner, Republic Real Estate Advisors against the safe harbor motion Saugus ZBA invoked on January 22, 2026 because the town surpassed the state's required 10% affordable housing threshold effective November 2025. If any updates, changes or rulings are made during this time, we will post that information as soon as it's made available. Again, thank you to you all for your continued support, advice, thoughts, comments and general attention to this matter.

04/24/2026

Update from recent ZBA meeting, Thursday, April 24th re: 20 Bennett Hwy 40B permits, ZBA voted to postpone the discussion another 30 days. It will continue to be postponed every meeting until the courts make a decision on the appeal to the Safe Harbor motion that Saugus ZBA invoked. Until such notice, it's a wait & see game until a decision is made by the court. Speculation by the ZBA Chairman Tom Traverse is that "it will be a lengthy period until a ruling will be made; approximately 8-9 months". If any updates, changes or rulings are made during this time, we will post that information as soon as it's made aware.
The residents managing this page are deeply vested in this matter and will continue to monitor it very closely. Thank you for your continued support, advice, thoughts, comments and general attention to this matter!