Swampscott Eyes Future Of Hadley, Hawthorne Properties

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — As the community discussion began on the long-term use of the newly acquired oceanfront Hawthorne by the Sea property on Humphrey Street during an idea exchange this past weekend, Swampscott Select Board members expressed some urgency Wednesday in determining uses for both the former restaurant itself and the soon-to-be-vacant Hadley School so that the buildings do not sit idle.

"The biggest risk we have is either one of those buildings getting moth-balled for any number of months," Swampscott Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald told the Select Board Wednesday night. "That could absolutely destroy them. If you don't have active maintenance, it could be devastating. So we've got to figure this out."

The Hawthorne restaurant will operate for one more season as a tenant of the town before it becomes available for municipal use on Oct. 31. Select Board member Peter Spellios said the Hadley building should be available for use in 16 months following the completion of the new K-4 school at the former Stanley location.

The new school is expected to open in the fall of 2024.

"An empty school is a bad thing," Select Board member Peter Spellios said. "We have to set it on a course because it is going to take a period of time just to get it on its course. Once you say: 'This is what it's going to be,' then it takes a period of time for that to happen.

"I really appreciated the (Hawthorne) idea exchange included the temporary re-use — what is the interim use of the property? —because 'vacant' can't be an interim use."

A vote of town meeting is required to approve any future use of both properties.

"It would be a shame to save that (with the Hawthorne) for a November special town meeting because that means we will have not gone to market, we will not have done anything, and that building is going to stay vacant for a long period of time," Spellios said. "To me, that is a May time period for us to make a decision as a board as to what it is (so it can be brought to the spring annual town meeting)."

A 20-person Hadley Re-Use Committee submitted a report on proposed uses for that building in 2021 should the new school be approved. Select Board Katie Phelan noted that the committee's discussions came before the town bought the Hawthorne property, and having both now available may influence the decision on the Hadley.

"I am not comfortable talking about Hawthorne and Hadley in a vacuum," Select Board member MaryEllen Fletcher said. "This has to be some type of a big conversation."

The Hadley School Reuse Committee in March 2021 said nearly 800 residents responded to a survey where a "clear majority" said they agreed or strongly agreed that the site should include a public purpose and that a "strong priority" was maintaining, adding or improving open space amenities on site.

The three final "scenarios" the Committee proposed were a mixed-use commercial building with various tenants and a dedicated community/arts space, senior affordable housing and a boutique hotel with a community plaza.

"They did a really good job," Spellios said. "They categorized it down into three very distinct categories. Even for us to express a preference as to where we think it should go, helps focus it. It's very hard when we're still taking that same report and not narrowing it down.

"I really think we should always be working to keep taking (scenarios) and narrowing and narrowing it, and then at some point take an opinion, and take it to town meeting, and ultimately town meeting gets to make a decision," Spellios said. "Empty buildings scare me."

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