Swampscott Town Meeting OKs Hawthorne, Glover efforts

Jun. 15—SWAMPSCOTT — With two votes taken Tuesday night, two pieces of Swampscott will be forever transformed.

Voters converged on the auditorium at Swampscott High School for a three-article Special Town Meeting on Tuesday night, June 14. They voted 214-3 to buy three parcels of land for $8.875 million total, and with just one vote against, also approved a zoning overlay to help the Glover property toward redevelopment.

The Glover rezoning vote, encouraging redevelopment of the long-abandoned General Glover House at Vinnin Square, had a single opponent. That prompted Moderator Michael McClung to instead declare it unanimous.

The meeting focused mostly on the ability to control some of the last buildable land in Swampscott. This included 9.5 acres along Archer Street, which will be purchased as open space by the town and effectively locked up from development.

"I want to thank you," McClung said as the meeting ended after just shy of three hours, "for the multi-generational change you took tonight, that will affect us, our children, and our children's children."

The open space vote focused on the two undeveloped Archer Street parcels, and the Hawthorne by the Sea property at 149 to 169 Humphrey St., all totaling $8.875 million.

"In truth, what these parcels have shown is that they're undeveloped for a reason," said Peter Spellios, a member of the Select Board, referencing the Archer Street parcels. "They're really topographically challenged. The access is difficult, and over the last decade and a half, we've seen multiple failed attempts to try to develop one or both of these properties."

The Hawthorne by the Sea property would continue its use as a restaurant for a year beyond the town closing on the sale much later this year. The Select Board, meanwhile, won't wait long to sign the documents.

"We have a purchase and sale agreement," continued Spellios. "Assuming the sale goes forward tonight, the (Select Board) will be taking a vote tomorrow night to execute the sales agreement."

The approval of the purchase now launches a planning process that will play out over the next year. While the town will close on the sale at the end of October, town officials will hold meetings beginning in September to field ideas for the property, according to Spellios. The current use of the Hawthorne will continue for another year beyond the sale by way of a lease, by which time Town Meeting 2023 — to be held next May 15 — will have already voted on the next use of the property.

Some Town Meeting voters raised concerns about there being no restrictions to preserve open space on the Hawthorne property specifically. That led to an amendment on the meeting floor that the town could profit from the property instead of keeping it open for recreational use.

Precinct 4 member Stephen Iannacone pushed for Town Meeting to restrict that 90% of the site would be set aside for open space.

"This town has suffered from development," Iannacone said. "What we want, and what I think the town needs, is to have as assurance that the property will remain after purchase as a recreation area."

Town officials pushed for the amendment to be rejected, insisting that nothing could happen on the property without further Town Meeting approval next year.

"This is something we need to move forward with," said Precinct 3 member Jer Jerma. "At this point in time, we can't come in with a percentage restriction on this. The town needs to speak to this (the use of the property going forward)."

Spellios further pressed that point.

"You all get to be the final deciders, the final arbiters on what the futures of these properties are going to be," Spellios said. "These are properties that are going to generate memories, not money."

The amendment ultimately failed by a wide margin, leading to the near-unanimous vote to buy all three parcels after close to two hours of discussion.

Town Meeting also approved a $4.3 million capital improvement plan package after limited discussion. The meeting then adjourned just before 10 p.m.

Contact Dustin Luca at 978-338-2523 or DLuca@salemnews.com. Follow him at facebook.com/dustinluca or on Twitter @DustinLucaSN.