Train Station Purchase Off The Table

Town Meeting 2013 authorized selectmen to buy the historic Swampscott train station from the MBTA but selectmen have misgivings about doing so, Town Administrator Tom Younger said last week.

The town administrator said at Wednesday's selectmen's meeting that the unspecified concern is a problem for the town but may not be a concern for a private party who purchases the station.

Selectmen's Chairman Jill Sullivan said selectmen have held executive sessions about the train station purchase.

The station topic arose Wednesday when Swampscott Historical Commission member Susan Post Munafo asked that the commission be included in talks about the future of the building.

The station is more than 130 years old and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Chairman Sullivan said selectmen would keep the Historical Commission apprised of matters related to the station.

Selectmen sponsored successful warrant articles in May that authorized them to buy and lease the historical property, as well as an article to rezone the property. 

Article 8 authorized selectmen to buy the depot building, the land beneath it and four parking spaces for $50,000.

Article 9 authorized the town to lease the building to a third party for up to 50 years.

Article 10 zoned the property, 10 Railroad Ave., B-1. 

The Railroad Avenue station is on the MBTA Commuter Rail's Newburyport/Rockport Line.

The exterior has been renovated but not the interior.

From the 2013 Town Warrant:

ARTICLE 8. To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to acquire by gift, purchase, 

eminent domain or otherwise, for general municipal purposes, all or any portion or any interest in the property identified as 

10 Railroad Avenue, being Town Assessor’s Map 3, Parcel 94, consisting of at least a building, the land underneath the 

building, and such land and/or easements as may be required in order to access the building, any portions of the building 

that the Town may be required to maintain, and to provide suitable parking therefor, and to raise and appropriate or 

transfer from available funds the sum of $50,000 for this purpose and any costs and expenses related thereto, and further 

to authorize the Board of Selectmen to enter into all agreements and take all related actions necessary or appropriate to 

carry out the acquisition of the property, or to take any other action relative thereto. 

Sponsored by The Board of Selectmen 

Comment: This article authorizes the Town to purchase the MBTA Rail Depot located adjacent to Railroad Ave. 

Article 8 requires a 2/3 affirmative vote to adopt.

The Finance Committee recommends favorable action on this Article. 

ARTICLE 9. To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to dispose of all or any portion 

or any interest in the property identified as 10 Railroad Avenue, being Town Assessor’s Map 3, Parcel 94, consisting of at 

least a building, the land underneath the building, and such land and/or easements as may be required in order to access 

the building, any portions of the building that the Town may be required to maintain, and to provide suitable parking 

therefor,for the purpose to lease said property to a third party, for a term not to exceed fifty (50) years, and further to 

authorize the Board of Selectmen to enter into all agreements and take all related actions necessary or appropriate to 

carry out the disposition and lease of the property per the provisions of Massachusetts General Law Chapter 30B, or to 

take any other action relative thereto. 

Sponsored by The Board of Selectmen 

Comment: This article authorizes the Town to lease the MBTA Rail Depot located adjacent to Railroad Ave. 

(once the Town acquires such) to a third party for a term not to exceed 50 years. 

Article 9 requires a majority vote to adopt. 

The Finance Committee recommends favorable action on this Article. 

ARTICLE 10. To see if the Town will vote to amend the Zoning By-Law and Zoning Map to zone the following 

parcels of land that are currently not zoned, and in doing to zone them within the zoning districts as established by the 

Zoning By-Law as follows: 

• 10 Railroad Avenue (Map 3, Lot 94)-to be zoned B-1 

• 100 Pine Street (Map 3, Lot 49)-to be zoned as B-1 

• Columbia Street (Map 3, Lot 97)-to be zoned B-2 

or take any action relative thereto. 

Sponsored by The Board of Selectmen 

Comment: The MBTA land on Railroad Ave., Pine St. and Columbia St. is currently unzoned land. Any future 

use of these lands is uncertain due to the lack of zoning on these properties. The proposed article allows the Town to 

zone these properties so as to be contiguous with surrounding parcels and outlines potential future uses of those lands 

(based on the proposed zoning district). 

Article 10 requires 2/3’s affirmative vote to adopt.