Hilltop's Cactus to Stay or Go?

Like a stubborn steak in the waning days of the Hilltop, that giant cactus is proving tough to get rid of.

The big ol' cactus - maybe the defining landmark in all of Route 1 - will stay put if the new developers have their way, according to multiple reports from a Tuesday night public meeting the developers had with Saugus officials.

There still isn't any word on whether the 68-foot cactus will continue to tout the Hilltop's name, however.

• Go inside the Hilltop one last time with this throwback photo gallery

AvalonBay Communities is planning on turning the area into a residential and retail haven.

It's a win for nostalgists along Route 1, which looks to be suffering a loss further up the highway with the sinking of The Ship. The big orange dinosaur down the road a bit is expected to stay as part of the redevelopment in that area. The famed Hilltop cows can be found at MarketStreet Lynnfield (enjoy an ice cream from JP Licks on one of them.)

The Boston Globe and Wicked Local report AvalonBay has approximately 24,000 square feet of retail space and 280 residential units in mind. They also report the project would cost about $90 million and 200 people in development and another 200 in retail. >>>See the full Globe report here and the full Wicked Local report here.

The Hilltop opened in 1961 by Frank Guiffrida. Guiffrida died in 2004, the Hilltop closed in 2013, and the building was demolished in 2015. In its prime, the Hilltop served more than 3 million customers a year.

Photo Credit: Brian Cummings Photography