ZBA Votes 5-0 To Accept 40B Permit Withdrawal
Saugus Zoning Board of Appeals voted 5-0 to accept withdrawal of a 300-unit comprehensive permit application at 20 Rear Bennett Highway.
Other Committee · Meeting of October 15, 2026
Saugus Zoning Board of Appeals voted 5-0 to accept withdrawal of a 300-unit comprehensive permit application at 20 Rear Bennett Highway. Chairman Tom Travis and members Peter Rossetti, Chris Riley, Bob Northrup and Stacy Herman Durant approved the withdrawal, letting an identical application the developer refiled last month, under the name Ironwood Apartments, reset the town's affordable-housing "safe harbor" clock. Attorney Paul Havity, representing applicant 20 Bennett LLC, said the refiling tests whether Saugus has fallen back under the 10 percent safe harbor threshold after no building permit issued within a year of the original December 2025 filing.
Special Town Counsel Jesse Shomer said the town still believes it holds safe harbor at 11.22 percent. Board member Chris Riley warned "the taxpayer still loses" in repeated legal fights, and Hood Street residents pressed the developer, unsuccessfully, to drop a proposed walking connection to their street. The refiled application's hearing opens November 19.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,164 words
Source: the Other Committee meeting of October 15, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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