Rail Opportunity

Selectman Barry Greenfield sees opportunity for development, transit-oriented development, around the Swampscott.

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.