SALEM — Mayor Kim Driscoll plans to meet with Lynn Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy to discuss the Lowe's-Walmart project, which is proposed on the communities' border.
"We have said from the beginning we're interested in working with Lynn," the Salem mayor said. "I look at this as a natural extension of that."
Opponents of the project, many from Lynn, have packed the city's Planning Board meetings, expressing concerns over the construction's impact on drainage, the environment and traffic, to name a few.
The plan calls for a 150,000-square-foot Lowe's and the demolition of the existing Walmart and construction of a new one at the Highland Avenue location.
Driscoll, who called her counterpart in Lynn last week, said Kennedy suggested the sit-down and the inclusion of a representative from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. As of this week, no date has been set, the Salem mayor said.
"It's important to seek input," Driscoll said. "I hope that we can narrow in on what the most pressing issues are, the areas where we can reach some accord."
A message left with Flanagan's office yesterday was not returned by press time.
In the meantime, the Salem mayor's staff is preparing for Flanagan a package of information, including the documents submitted to the Planning Board. She wanted to be sure both communities were on the "same page."
"We're just trying to provide them with as much information as possible," Driscoll said. "I hope people recognize that we are trying to make this a really good project for Salem and Lynn."
