5 Questions About the Swampscott Downtown Visioning Forum

Q&A On Community Visioning Meeting

1) When and where is the visioning meeting?

The Downtown Community Visioning Forum will be held at the Swampscott High School cafeteria (200 Essex St) on Tuesday, October 23 @ 7pm

2) Why is it being held?

The forum is being held as part of the Community Visioning Study that MAPC is performing. The study is being carried out through the District Local Technical Assistance grant that the Planning Board was awarded earlier this year. 

3) Why might residents want to attend?

 This is a great opportunity for residents to talk about and share what they hope to see happen to our downtown – specifically Humphrey St and its connection to the railroad station. Residents will be provided with an update on the study MAPC has been doing and will also be able to talk about their likes and dislikes about downtown, what they’d like to see there, what they’d like preserved, and what the downtown means to them.

4) What might their input accomplish?

The input provided at the forum will help to shape recommendations that will come out of the study. Those recommendations may include various strategies that the Planning Board, Board of Selectmen or some other town board may take up in order to follow through with the community desire for the downtown. Additionally, the Community Visioning Study is being used by the Planning Board as an initial phase to develop a new Master Plan for the town.

5) Does this have any relationship to the Lynn Chamber visioning event?

The event that was held at the Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce last Friday is directly related to this forum. The event in Lynn focused on gaining business perspectives and desires for the downtown and was organized by the Chamber and MAPC. MAPC will provide information from the Chamber event during Tuesday night’s visioning forum.

Press release on the event:

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) is helping to craft a development vision for downtown Swampscott, and the public is invited to a community forum next week to brainstorm ideas and guide the visioning process. The Downtown Swampscott Community Visioning Meeting will take place Tuesday, Oct. 23 from 7 to 9 p.m. in Swampscott High School. All are welcome to attend. This visioning process is funded through the District Local Technical Assistance (DLTA) program, a state grant opportunity that supports zoning and regionalization projects. MAPC will work with Swampscott officials and local residents to create a development vision for the downtown area, creating recommendations for future growth around Humphrey and Blaney streets, including the Commuter Rail station. Tuesday’s workshop will give residents an opportunity to voice recommendations about the growth and preservation they envision for Swampscott, and to ask questions about the project. For more information, contact MAPC Senior Regional Planner Sam Cleaves at scealves@mapc.org or 617-451-2770 x.2013.