By DAN TOMASELLO

LYNNFIELD — The Planning Board wants to make sure drivers can safely enter and exit a new over-55 housing development that will be built on upper Main Street. 

The 2022 Fall Town Meeting approved two zoning changes associated with the Sagamore Spring Golf Club that will allow Toll Brothers to construct an over-55 development on the eastern side of the golf course along with a clubhouse and an outdoor pool. The Regency at Lynnfield, 1301 Main St., will be located on 36 acres and will include 66 detached units.

In addition to the 66 units, clubhouse and pool, the new development will also include private driveways, a private road, a stormwater management and will be receiving water from the Lynnfield Center Water District.

The Planning Board voted during a recent meeting to hire the consulting firm The Engineering Corp (TEC) to undertake a peer review of The Regency at Lynnfield. TEC will be undertaking the peer review for both the Planning Board and the Conservation Commission in order to conduct an independent analysis of the development plan. The Planning Board will be tasked with issuing an Elderly Housing District Special Permit as well as Scenic Road Bylaw and Tree Preservation Bylaw permits while the Conservation Commission will be issuing an Order of Conditions under the Wetlands Protection Act. 

Planning and Conservation Director Emilie Cademartori said TEC undertook a peer review and is providing construction oversight for Toll Brothers’ The Willows at Boxford over-55 development.  

“It is a very similar project although those are duplexes as opposed to standalone units,” said Cademartori. “They are familiar with Toll Brothers’ product and are doing their construction oversight. I have spoken with both the town administrator and the planning director there, and they are satisfied.”

Traffic concerns aired

McMahon Bowman traffic engineer Jeff Bandini said that his firm collected traffic data this past November. 

“The average weekday traffic along Main Street is about 6,500 vehicles,” said Bandini. 

Bandini said the traffic study revealed most vehicles are traveling 39-mph on upper Main Street by The Regency’s entrance/exit. 

“The crash data is important because we want to make sure vehicles can get out of the proposed site’s driveway,” said Bandini. “We looked at crash data from within 250-feet of the proposed site’s driveway location. We found that there were no reported crashes in a five-year period, which is the last full five years of data available on the Massachusetts Department of Transportation Crash Portal.” 

Bandini projects that The Regency will have 73 vehicles entering and exiting the property during weekday afternoons, which he said will be the busiest traffic period for the new over-55 development.

“That would be approximately 41 entering and 42 exiting,” said Bandini. “That is less than one a minute.” 

Planning Board member Page Wilkins asked Bandini how he came up with the 73 trips estimate. 

Bandini said the 73 trips was based on the 66 units as well as the development being an over-55 townhouse complex. 

Planning Board Chair Brian Charville inquired what traffic controls will be used for the entrance/exit off of Main Street.

“We are proposing stop control,” said Bandini. “There will be no additional signage or anything like that, but we will make sure the signage is compliant with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices in terms of visibility, size, height and mounting.”

Bandini said vegetation that will be located near the entrance/exit will be less than 2.5-feet tall to make sure drivers can clearly see other cars traveling on Main Street. 

 “The site lines, both approaching the driveway and looking left and looking right out of the driveway, will be clear of any obstructions to maintain safety coming in and out of the site and approaching it as well,” said Bandini. “We want to make sure the vehicles along Main Street are aware there is a driveway there.”

Planning Board Vice Chair Kate Flaws questioned whether the crash data is “relevant.”

“There is nothing where these units are going right now,” said Flaws. 

Planning Board member Amy MacNulty recalled that upper Main Street residents have previously expressed concerns about vehicles speeding near the golf course. 

“The fact there hasn’t been any crashes in five years tells us something, but we have the golf course traffic right there too,” said MacNulty. 

Flaws noted that the Sagamore Spring Golf Club is “further down” from The Regency’s entrance/exit. 

“There is a lot more visibility,” said Flaws. “The golfers are a different group of people. If you have elderly people pulling in and out of there, it’s going to be a problem.”

MacNulty agreed. 

“Getting out of there and making a left turn is going to be a challenge,” said MacNulty.  

Flaws also said The Regency’s entrance/exit will be located at the bottom of a hill. She suggested that a motion sensor traffic light be installed on Main Street to make sure “people can get in and out of there without killing people.”

Planning Board member Ed Champy said installing a light on upper Main Street will cause traffic backups. He suggested that a raised crosswalk similar to the one in front of Lynnfield Middle School be installed on upper Main Street. 

“All of us are on that road every day,” said Champy. “We want your development to be really successful. I think something should be looked at. It’s a fast road.” 

In response to a question from Charville, Cademartori said the speed limit for most sections of upper Main Street is 25-mph. 

Cademartori suggested that the development team and local officials meet with Police Chief Nick Secatore to get his feedback on The Regency’s entrance/exit and whether any traffic controls are needed.  

“It meets the stopping distance, but that doesn’t necessarily make it safe,” said Cademartori. 

Charville said TEC should review traffic for the new over-55 development because the company will be a “second set of eyes.”

“They can look at it from our perspective and give us the menu of traffic calming measures if we want to explore that,” said Charville. 

After the discussion, the Planning Board voted to continue the public hearing on The Regency to its next meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 28, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Al Merritt Media and Cultural Center.