ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Five years after voters approved a plan to transform the shuttered middle school into condominiums, officials are considering affordable housing for the Greenwood Avenue site.
BY GAYLA CAWLEY
SWAMPSCOTT — Five years after voters approved a plan to transform the shuttered middle school into condominiums, officials are considering affordable housing for the Greenwood Avenue site.
The former Swampscott Middle School was closed in 2007 and voters later approved a zoning change that would allow for multi-family construction on the parcel. But a group of abutters filed suit in 2014 opposing the revision in a neighborhood of single-family homes. A Massachusetts Land Court judge revoked the multifamily zoning, ruling that reuse of the school did not result in a public purpose.
“The Land Court decision reverted the zoning back to the original zoning, which was single family housing at that site,” said Thomas Younger, town administrator. “Part of the decision of the Land Court was that there was no public purpose. The new zoning would allow for public purpose, which would be affordable housing.”
Now, officials are planning to seek Town Meeting approval next month for a zoning bylaw change that would create a planned development district that would allow for construction of more units on the 2-acre site.
“At this point in time, we can’t do anything else until we have the appropriate zoning,” Younger said. “All zoning changes need to go through the Planning Board process and then Town Meeting.”
Following a zoning change, Younger said a Request for Proposals would be issued.
Naomi Dreeben, chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen, said there will be two options for affordable housing at the school. If the zoning change is approved by voters, a developer could devote up to 25 percent of the units to those who meet income guidelines.
A second option would allow a builder to put a predetermined amount of money into an Affordable Housing Trust Fund which would be used to pay for another affordable housing project in town, she said.
Swampscott is lagging in providing affordable housing. The state’s controversial Chapter 40B housing program allows developers to override local zoning bylaws to increase the stock of affordable housing in municipalities where less than 10 percent of the homes are defined as affordable. The goal of Chapter 40B is to allow families and seniors to stay in their communities when they might otherwise be priced out of market rate housing.
Less than 4 percent of Swampscott’s housing is considered affordable, according to the Department of Housing and Community Development.
“We don’t like having empty buildings sitting around,” Dreeben said. “I don’t think the neighbors really like that either. We’re trying to find a way to give ourselves some options to move the process forward.”
Neighbors of the former school said they are tired of seeing a vacant building so close to their homes. Richard Cabral said plans to convert the property to condominiums resulted in a fight with the neighbors. He said one home would have been completely blocked from the ocean. He was also concerned with the potential for more traffic.
“I just wish they would do something with it,” he said. “It’s just falling apart. It’s attracting rodents and everything. We’ve had to do some treatments. Everybody has.”
Evan Tarmy said he favors the idea of luxury apartments, condominiums or a function hall at the site.
“I’d like to see something other than what it is and some progression,” Tarmy said. “Right now, it’s just an old decrepit building.”
The details of the Greenwood Middle School rezoning will be discussed at the Planning Board’s public hearing on Monday, April 25 at 7 p.m. at the Swampscott Senior Center.
Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley.