SAUGUS — After two years, Chase Bank is finally nearing the end of its building process at Saugus Plaza, with the Planning Board giving it a Temporary Occupancy Permit to begin training staff.

The bank has had a few walls to climb over during the process.

After the board approved its site plan, the bank returned in 2025 to request 10 more parking spaces. This led to a discussion about safety due to the reckless driving in the area.

Vice Chair Jeanne Meredith said that Chase couldn’t get a permanent occupancy until they return to the board with an as-built plan.

“They were looking for a temporary. … He (the building commissioner) had asked if we had any objection to him giving them a temporary for Chase so they can get in there and start doing trainings,” she said.

Chair John O’Brien said that he thought Building Inspector Daniel Kelly had given them a temporary for training.

“There were some issues that were still at hand,” O’Brien said.

Meredith said that they had been given permission to do training, but not an official temporary. The board was asked by Building Commissioner Michael LaVecchia if they had objections before the temporary was given.

“I said I’d just check with the board. … I didn’t think we’d have any issues since they’ve done anything and gone above and beyond,” she said. “I can’t see holding them up another month.”

The next Planning Board meeting would be at the end of August, when Chase Bank can present its as-built.

While the board can’t issue a temporary occupancy, the motion was made to sign off on it for the building commissioner.

“They have some revisions to make on the as-built, and they’re going to prepare a close-out package for the board. I think if, during the next couple of weeks’ review, there’s anything outstanding, we can call them out on it. I think they’re in good shape,” Town Engineer Kevin Hallion said.

O’Brien said that the Public Health Department had some issues, but he believes they had been addressed.

“It was in the back where they brought the waterline down over the hill. … And they dug up their area where they store their trash, and it wasn’t filled back in yet. So Owen (Bouchie) didn’t want to release it until that was taken care of, but I’m sure it’s been done,” O’Brien said.

Hallion said it was worked on last Tuesday, and he was told they were done with no equipment left on the site.

It was a unanimous decision by the board to give Chase Bank a temporary occupancy.