Swampscott Select Board Poised To Set Priorities For Oceanfront Development

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — The Swampscott Select Board has begun the process of determining priorities for how it will score responses to its Request for Proposal for the development of the former Hawthorne property.

The town awarded a 30-month lease, retroactive to this past winter, to the Swampscott Center for the Performing Arts, to expire in the Summer of 2028. The temporary tenant is set to open in July with shows beginning this fall.

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In the meantime, the town intends to move forward on greater redevelopment for the property that was called the "crown jewel" of the town when it was purchased for $7 million four years ago.

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But opinions remain sharply divided on what to do with that jewel — including advocates for keeping it as open space who spoke during the public comment portion of Wednesday's meeting, to those opposed to residential units, to those who view commercial activity and tax income as vital to the town's financial future.

The Select Board's mission over the next few meetings will be to determine which aspects of development it most strongly endorses in order to then determine which RFP is in the town's best interest.

"It's been really clear to us that the town wants to see action," Select Board member Danielle Leonard said. "Whatever that looks like, whatever action that ends up being, I just don't think that we can sit and kick the can (down the road)."

"It's definitely hard decisions all around. But it's on us to do that. That's what we're here for."

One decision will be whether to wait for a resolution of the town's inquiry into purchasing the adjacent church parking lot. While doing so could dramatically change the score of the project and RFP response, there appears to be no timetable for whether that will be possible or definitive consensus on whether town meeting members would support funding for any purchase, Select Board members said.

Select Board member MaryEllen Fletcher stated her opposition to residential use of the site and that she feels whatever comes of it must be developed to the overall benefit of the pending hotel at the former Hadley School and the overall Humphrey Street commercial district.

While no weighting decisions were made this week, the Select Board did choose the categories on which scoring preference debate and determinations will be made:

• Whether the developer should purchase the property or lease it from the town
• Whether it should include housing
• How much of the site should ideally be dedicated to parking
• How much open space should be reserved on the property
• Whether or not there is a preference to demolish the former Hawthorne restaurant building itself
• The walkability of the property
• How the development relates to the streetscape
• How environmentally sound the development is
• The synergy between the development and the pending hotel and overall Humphrey Street commercial district.

More on Patch:

• Iconic North Shore Restaurant Closes For Good After 80 Years
• Should Swampscott's Hawthorne Property Be All Open Space Or Mixed Retail/Park?
• How To Own A Piece of North Shore Restaurant History