Swampscott Accepts MBTA Zoning, Upholds Gas-Powered Leaf Blower Ban

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — A relatively smooth Night 3 of the Swampscott annual town meeting following two nights of vigorous school budget debate included a vote to accept zoning changes to comply with the state's MBTA multi-unit housing requirements in exchange for grant funding eligibility and some tinkering to the ban on gas-powered leaf blowers during the summer months.

While some cities and towns — including Marblehead— chose to battle back on the state mandate requiring by-right multi-family housing zoning for areas near public transportation as a way to increase housing stock across the state, Swampscott — which was largely compliant with the requirements in the first place — opted to accept the zoning that would allow for larger housing units if certain properties within a half-mile of the commuter rail station were to ever be redeveloped.

(Also on Patch: Swampscott Reverses Course On $482K School Budget Add)

Because of the town's existing zoning and density, it was able to formulate a plan to be in compliance with the state mandate without changing zoning to the more residential areas of the 3-square-mile town.

Towns not in compliance with the state mandate put at risk their eligibility for state grant funding — which in Swampscott was estimated to be $3.2 million in projects forwarded by town hall alone.

Marblehead town meeting voters rejected that town's plan for compliance last month. The matter is likely to come back in front of a special town meeting there later this year.

While town meeting voters chose to preserve last year's ban on gas-powered leaf blowers in the summer during an attempt to repeal it all together on Tuesday, efforts to put more teeth into it through stronger penalties were rebuffed on Wednesday.

Proposals to make a second and subsequent offense a $300 fine, as well as to penalize both the property owner and operator of the offending leaf blower, were both watered down in amendments that kept the fine at $50 after a first warning and will make only the person (or company) using the leaf blower subject to the fine — not the property owner.

The annual town meeting was officially dissolved at the end of Night 3.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)