Should Swampscott's Hawthorne Property Be All Open Space Or Mixed Retail/Park?

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — Nearly 18 months after a proposed oceanfront public library met with a rocky reception for the future of the 1.47-acre Hawthorne property that the town purchased for $7 million in 2022, the committee charged with coming up with an alternative reuse for the property unveiled several possibilities for what has been described as the "jewel" of the town's coastline.

Proposals included a fully open space area that proponents said was in the spirit of what was proposed to town meeting members when the Select Board asked for approval to purchase the land four years ago, and some proposals that include a mix of oceanfront park and retail space either along Humphrey Street or in a courtyard-type configuration closer to the street.

In both cases, public access to the oceanfront views would be preserved, with those in favor of the retail proposals arguing that the development fees and taxes could be used to generate some revenue from the property, while the park-only proposal would cost about $8 million and produce little or no direct revenue.

Proposals also included both a single-lot development involving only the Hawthorne property and a potential double-lot development that would include the possible purchase of the adjacent church site.

"You can do more than one thing," Hawthorne Reuse Committee Chair Brian Watson said. "That's the approach our committee has been trying to sort of find a way to get to. Let's do more than one thing. Let's fill in the gap. And let's create a memorable downtown."

Town meeting members voted 214 to 3 in 2022 to approve the purchase of 9.5 acres of open space across two lots on Archer Street and to authorize and fund an agreement to purchase the 1.47-acre Hawthorne by the Sea property for $7 million.

The article preserved the two Archer Street lots — which are largely undevelopable — as permanent open space, while giving town meeting members control over further use of the Hawthorne property following October 2023, when a one-year lease to continue running the restaurant was set to expire.

However, former Select Board member Peter Spellios said at the 2022 special town meeting that the intention was to keep it largely or entirely a public space.

"This is a property that is going to generate memories, not revenue," Spellios said at the time.

Watson said a public survey with about 550 responses produced about an even split of those who wanted it entirely as a park and those who supported streetside retail and an oceanfront park. Of those who supported the retail, about two-thirds preferred the "courtyard" configuration.

Resident Brenda Sheridan advocated keeping the restaurant building in some form as a way to maintain the infrastructure, limit cost and cut down on the environmental impact of new building construction along Humphrey Street.

Watson said the estimated tax revenue of the mixed retail plans would be about $200,000 per year for the town for 25,000 square feet of commercial space and $300,000 per year at 35,000 square feet of commercial space. The single-lot retail designs call for about 30 dedicated parking spots, while the double-lot plans include 55 to 60 spots.

Watson said the building heights were proposed to be two or three stories.

"The committee is really excruciatingly concerned about the finances of any plan that we do," Watson said. "We are really concerned about it because we think the town has a lot on its plate now and coming in the future. We are really concerned about analyzing any plan for short-term cost and long-term cost."

"We are also concerned about any plan the town does, if it includes mixed use and parking, and park. It's a little complex because there would be a private developer involved responding to a (Request for Proposal). The town is going to have to be super vigilant and super sophisticated with negotiating with a developer before signing on the dotted line."

(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.)