Rail Opportunity
Selectman Barry Greenfield sees opportunity for growth through rezoning the rail station area to mixed use.
Selectman Barry Greenfield sees opportunity for development, transit-oriented development, around the Swampscott rail station.
In an October interview hours after morning commuters piled into rail cars bound for Boston the selectman said the Swampscott station area has much to recommend it.
“How many towns have a commuter rail station?” he asked.
Furthermore, how many towns are within striking distance of a major employment and cultural center and have the ocean nearby? he asked.
These assets could promote development if the area was changed to mixed, commercial/residential zoning allowing buildings up to five stories, he said.
The zoning question would need the Planning Board's support.
The selectman plans to meet with the board to talk about the idea.
If the area is rezoned it would send a signal to developers that it was open for residential and commercial development, he said.
It could generate commerce and jobs.
And it could draw tenants to apartments, artist lofts and condos, tenants who might otherwise be priced out of the single-family home market, he said.
Greenfield wrote in a recent email that high-density, low-square-footage housing that is near mass transit will draw young couples and people who are likely seeking reasonably priced rentals or condos and a quality of life that isn't reliant on a vehicle for their commute to downtown Boston.
"These types of people are critical to the growth of our town as they do not tax the school system, but add significant disposable income to our town," he said.
Residential development could help boost housing prices in the area and generate more tax revenues for the town, he said.
“More tax revenue and put us on the map,” he said.
Swampscott Patch
3:18 pm on Tuesday, November 29, 2011
They call that type of development Lynn
mary webster
3:38 pm on Tuesday, November 29, 2011
I think we should hear more about this idea.
george depaolo
5:10 pm on Tuesday, November 29, 2011
I agree with Mary, However I am a little bit puzzeled, is there some magical lots of land that I am not familiar with? I know some contractors do own and utilize pieces of property by the rails, but I for one can not see building 5 stories up...We changed our whole area with the School, I for one do not think it would be fair to citizens on this side of the tracks to redue zoning laws, when we did buy our properties we knew what were buying...This is a big NoNo.
Casey Soward
10:05 pm on Tuesday, November 29, 2011
We should be very careful before adjusting the zoning to allow for buildings of five stories in the area around the rail station. The neighborhood around the train station is already a healthy mix of single and multi-family homes as well as commercial businesses, and there is already a major traffic safety issue which exists in the neighborhood due to this fact, particularly for children walking to and from their various schools as well as daily commuters going to and from the train station. The renovated church (Spatial Lofts) on Burrill Street is already adding more of this type of development to the neighborhood. According to their website, only 2 out of 8 units are currently sold, so the demand for this type of housing might not be quite as much as the selectman might have ascertained (it would be nice to see some metrics as to how he thinks this might play out for Swampscott). With the recent demolition of the building on the corner of Burrill and Rock Ave, I can only assume that similar development will occur there. More tax revenue for the town is certainly necessary, and worthy of further discussion, but not at the cost of the integrity of a very stable family neighborhood which has existed in it's current configuration for over a century.
Citizen Swamp
11:30 am on Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Great idea, mixed use might also work in area around current police station. We already have a post office, library, fire station, soon to be condos, museums etc.. Mix in a few restaurants, law offices etc, it would be nice. Contrary to what naysayers say mixed use would drive up real estate values and tax receipts. Something that would be pretty appealing in the depressed Swampscott real estate market.
Paul
7:00 pm on Sunday, March 4, 2012
I agree with the majority; this area is already quite congested with a mix of businesses, single and multifamily homes. Traffic is very heavy during commuting hours (only partially due to the train station itself) and is often slowed by large commercial trucks delivering daily to the businesses in this area –using the small neighborhood streets. Traffic is also constant in the evenings and on weekends (mostly due to Burrill St. to RT 1A, and Railroad Ave to Pine St. being used as short-cuts for vehicles traveling to/from Lynn). Adding multiple small residences and even more businesses would only increase traffic (including more ‘18-wheeler’ delivery trucks –which contribute significantly to noise pollution in this small neighborhood). This would only serve to scare people (especially those with children) away from this area.