Swampscott Looks To Jumpstart Hawthorne Property Re-Use Efforts

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — Nine months after a grand proposal for a glass-enclosed public library as an anchor for the town-owned Hawthorne oceanfront property received a rocky greeting in a series of public meetings,the town is looking to jumpstart efforts to redevelop the property it purchased for $7 million now more than three years ago.

The Select Board is asking for six members of the public to join one representative each from the Planning Board, Finance Committee and Open Space Committee to help guide the process of soliciting and developing ideas for the future of the property that was referred to as the "future jewel" of the community when purchased in 2022.

"When we had that meeting (in May 2024) and hundreds of people showed up," Select Board member Katie Phelan said at Wednesday night's meeting, "there were a lot of community members who had great ideas who were willing to give their time and energy to this committee. So we should make space for as many of them as possible."

The relaunch is expected to be patterned after the Hadley School Re-Use Committee which eventually led to a boutique hotel being built on the site of the former school.

The library concept was billed last April as a culmination of two public meetings and several surveys as a way to bring a year-round public interactive space to the property that could also house public and potentially revenue-producing private events, as well as bring foot traffic to the Humphrey Street business district, while also preserving open space and public views of the ocean.

The current Swampscott Public Library was built in 1917 and faces challenges with its current location and age.

• Waterfront Library Proposed For Swampscott Hawthorne Property

But the ambitious concept received a cool response — at best — as frustration boiled over with the redevelopment process and town government transparency on the decisions that led to the public library concept that came as a surprise to many. An ensuing public forum elicited widely disparate views on what should ultimately happen at the site.

"We don't always get things right," former Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald said. "We need feedback."

Fitzgerald said during the May forum that there needed to be more regular updates on the process and more options presented about the potential uses for the property amid calls to "start over" with the entire development.

• 'We Need Help': Swampscott Oceanfront Library Plan Panned At Forum

But that process stalled through the summer and fall as it drifted behind other town priorities and as Fitzgerald took a leave of absence before eventually stepping down in December.

Fitzgerald said in May that the original push to purchase the property as a town came amid a proposal to turn it into a private condominium complex, and framed the library proposal as one idea that would make the building on the property a public space capable of hosting events, meetings, artistic performances as well as, presumably, books.

It was also noted that when the proposal to buy the property was presented to town meeting members it was billed as being primarily for open space.

The May forum revealed there was not necessarily a widely shared vision among attending residents with several calling for a "village-type" business development on the property, while others pushed for essentially one large public park.

The purpose of the new committee will be to develop and determine the viability of some of those ideas and attempt to come forward with a narrowed series of concepts from which one will ultimately be chosen for the site.

Swampscott residents and stakeholders looking to be part of the committee are asked to apply here by Feb. 13.

(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.)