Published in the August 23, 2017 edition

By DAN TOMASELLO

LYNNFIELD —Lahey Health is coming to MarketStreet Lynnfield next year, National Development Managing Partner Ted Tye said in an email sent to the Lynnfield Villager recently.

Tye said construction of the new facility, Building 1350, will begin this fall.

“The building is a combined retail and medical office building, which we refer to as Building 1350, not as a medical office building,” said Tye. “Both uses were included in the original permitting of MarketStreet.”

Tye said Building 1350 will be two stories and approximately 40,000 square feet.

“The height as measured per zoning is approximately 30 feet, where 45 feet is allowed,” said Tye. “The first floor will have two to three retailers and an urgent care center. The second floor will have doctors’ offices and related medical space. Work is scheduled to begin in the fall.”

Tye said the building will be completed in early 2018. He said Lahey has signed a lease with National Development.

“It is being built in a current parking lot area and will extend the streetscape to create a more pedestrian-friendly area within MarketStreet,” said Tye.

When asked if the Massachusetts Department of Public Health is required to approve the project because it’s a medical facility, Tye said “no.”

In February, Tye unveiled plans to build a three-story medical office building. After listening to concerns from MarketStreet abutters, Tye agreed to withdraw the original proposal and submitted plans for a two-story, 30-foot high building instead. Tye agreed to downsize the building even though Town Counsel Tom Mullen stated the original three-story building was “not prohibited” at MarketStreet if it was kept under a maximum allowable height of 45 feet.

The Planning Board voted 3-1 in March to designate the proposed two-story medical office building at MarketStreet Lynnfield as a minor modification to the Planned Village Development District (PVDD) agreement despite pleas from several residents. Despite the building’s reduced size, many MarketStreet abutters raised concerns about the building’s location and argued it should be built at the rear of the development.

Additionally, Police Chief David Breen expressed concerns about the urgent care facility. He told the Planning Board in March there will be a high demand for urgent care facilities with Union Hospital closing in 2019, and said having one at MarketStreet will have a “major impact” on the Police and Fire departments because ambulances will need to transport some patients to area hospitals.

While Tye originally said Lahey wanted to be located in front of the development and did not want to be in the back, National Development submitted a last minute warrant article for April Town Meeting that sought to build an 800 seat cinema that have been located next to Gaslight. The cinema article, which was submitted the day the selectmen closed the April Town Meeting warrant, was widely criticized by local officials and residents.

The Villager asked Tye if National Development is planning on submitting a cinema-related warrant article for October Town Meeting, but he did not comment on the matter.

Tye did say Building 1350 will be a positive addition to MarketStreet.

“We are pleased to continue the build-out of the final phases of MarketStreet per our original approvals,” said Tye. “We will be adding new retailers plus medical service provided by Lahey Health that will be a valuable resource for the Lynnfield community.”