Conflict developing at Lynn-Salem border

On the Salem side, the mayor and City Council point to more jobs and much-needed tax revenue that would be generated by the project. Their Lynn neighbors say it would bring myriad problems, chief among them traffic and drainage issues.

The next chapter is scheduled to unfold on Sept. 16, with another in a series of reviews before the Salem Planning Board.

The proposal by Kennedy Development Group Inc. of Everett calls for expanding the footprint of the development to add the Lowe’s store and expand the Walmart at 450 Highland Ave. (also known as Route 107). In addition, there would be a new Meineke car repair shop to replace one already at the location, and a city-owned water storage tank.

The development would expand the shopping mall into 15 acres of a 70-acre wooded area known as Camp Lion, part of which serves as the headquarters for Camp Fire USA’s North Shore Council. The plans call for the Camp Fire USA operation to be moved to another location on the Camp Lion property.

The wooded area also serves as a buffer between the commercial development and a Lynn neighborhood.

In December 2009, the Salem City Council voted 9-1 to give Lowe’s a $125,000 tax break spread over five years. Mayor Kim Driscoll said the project would create 125 permanent jobs (75 percent of the positions full time, with benefits) in addition to temporary construction jobs, and provide a boost to the city’s coffers.

“It’s beneficial to growing our commercial tax base, and an improved Walmart and new Lowe’s will bring in substantial tax revenue and a substantial number of jobs,’’ Driscoll said.

She anticipated receiving annual revenues of $225,000 from Lowe’s for the first five years, increasing to $250,000 after the tax break expires.

Lynn officials, meanwhile, see problems that start with traffic and drainage, and build to include lower real estate values and tax revenues for their city.

“I continue to have serious concerns about the proposed project, which has the potential to negatively affect many Lynn residents,’’ Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy wrote in an e-mailed statement last week. She also wrote that she had met with local legislators, including state Senator Thomas McGee and state Representatives Steve Walsh, Robert Fennell, and John Keenan, as well as Driscoll “to express those concerns, and plan to keep the lines of communication open between our two cities.

“I remain concerned about the possibility that many Lynn homeowners may see a decrease in the value of their property as a result of this project,’’ the mayor continued. “I am hopeful that our neighbors in Salem will be mindful of the legitimate concerns being put forth by residents in both communities.’’

Lynn City Councilor Dan Cahill noted that while Highland Avenue in Salem has two lanes in each direction where it passes the Walmart store, once it gets to Lynn the road narrows, forcing traffic to merge into one lane in each direction. As it crosses the city line, it becomes Western Avenue, one of the busiest roads in the city.

“We have tremendous traffic problems there now,’’ Cahill said. “We just had a state study delivered to us on traffic, and it said that area just can’t handle any more traffic. As it is now, there needs to be a significant upgrade to relieve the amount of traffic and accidents we have at the intersection of Western Ave. and Eastern Ave.’’

The area also has flooding issues, Cahill said, which he said could become worse if the new development is built.

The section “floods already,’’ Cahill said. “They’ll tell you they’re going to put retaining pools up and make the drainage better than it was before; we just don’t see it that way.’’

Cahill lives on Belleaire Avenue, in the Lynn neighborhood closest to the proposed development. He admits to both a personal and professional concern in the issue. He’s not the only official from the area: Walsh, Fennell and Kennedy also have neighborhood ties.

“From that neighborhood, there could be a ripple effect throughout the entire city,’’ Cahill said, noting that if property values drop, the loss in tax revenues could limit Lynn’s financial ability to deliver services elsewhere in the city.

Joseph Correnti, a lawyer representing the developers, played down the flap.

“A project of this size has an impact,’’ he said, noting that working through neighborhood concerns about traffic, drainage or noise “is all part of the process. We’re halfway through the approval process, and there’s nothing unusual about it.’’

By law, a city or town has legal standing to challenge a neighboring municipality’s decision if there is an adverse impact on the community, according to James Lamanna, Lynn’s city attorney.

“Just because the project is all in one city doesn’t mean there isn’t a spillover effect on another city,’’ said Lamanna, who added that a legal challenge would not be considered until after Salem completes its permitting process.

At its Sept. 16 meeting, the Salem Planning Board is slated to hear from Norwood-based Beta Group Inc., which it hired to review the developers’ traffic study. At a previous meeting, the board asked the developer to extend the geographic area of its traffic study, and Beta’s peer review will include those results as well.

“We have a strong Planning Board that does an excellent job with site plan reviews and is used to tackling projects of this size,’’ said Driscoll, noting that the project has been in the discussion stage for about 10 years.

She said that if the issues of drainage and traffic can be resolved, they will be. “We understand [Lynn’s] concerns and will work to address them.’’

Lynn Duncan, Salem’s director of planning and community development, said the city board will consider the issues surrounding the project, and the potential impact on its neighbors, before making a determination on the permits it will require.

“The Planning Board will conduct a very diligent review, without stopping at the city line,’’ she said.