ITEM FILE PHOTO
Machon Elementary School.
The good news in Swampscott is the town, thanks to Town Meeting’s foresight, is about to build two significant affordable housing projects.
The less positive news is that the town’s shortage of potentially developable land means residents must take a hard look at its housing plans.
Converting the former Machon Elementary School into senior housing and setting the stage for the former middle school site to become housing, is proof positive Swampscott is committed to affordable housing.
That commitment could not come too soon. By having less than 10 percent affordable housing in town, Swampscott is placed at a disadvantage in strictly applying town zoning laws to future proposed local housing projects.
Town Planner Peter Kane talks about local “control” when he underscores the importance of Swampscott moving closing to the 10 percent affordable housing goal. With local control as the goal, the town has sent state housing officials a “housing production plan” to assess Swampscott’s housing needs.
The Metropolitan Area Planning Council helped prepare the plan. The Boston-based organization classifies Swampscott as a “mature suburban town” with scattered parcels of developable land.
Officials and residents need to identify those sites and map out discussions pointing the town in the direction it should go on the housing production path. Those discussions must include more than the town officials and planning experts who typically talk housing.
Real estate agents and developers must also be at the table. Homeowners, including residents who recently bought homes, and older owners looking to reduce their living space, should be involved. Tenants, assisted living operators, and the business community must be included as well.
Swampscott residents have a lot at stake when talk about the future of housing in the community.
Available housing determines who lives in a communities. Depending on the type of homes built in the next 20 years, more families will settle in Swampscott or families will move to more affordable communities. That influx or exodus will have a bearing on a school system already overdue for a serious look at its aging schools.
Housing prices and available housing will determine if young residents leave Swampscott or stay in the town once they reach purchasing age. At the center of housing discussions are less tangible but equally important considerations like the town’s image and its appearance.
The conversation about what Swampscott looks like in 2050 may very well begin with a talk about housing.