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Swampscott Town Hall
BY GAYLA CAWLEY
SWAMPSCOTT — Voters will decide tonight whether Rockland Street becomes the town’s newest historic district.
If Town Meeting gives it the green light, Rockland will join Frederick Law Olmsted, Swampscott Cemetery & Andrews Chapel, Fish House and the Railroad Depot districts. The designation preserves and protects significant buildings and places.
But George and Sarah Wattendorf, owners of the 1840’s Gothic Revival home and carriage house at 57 Rockland St. oppose the classification.
The couple, managers of Oceanview Real Estate LLC, bought the property last fall for $895,000. They want to downsize with their purchase and were drawn to the home’s oceanfront location.
The two want to demolish the 3,918-square-foot property and replace it with a two-family house, where they plan to retire. In September, they applied for a demolition permit.
But the age of the building triggered a bylaw that protects historic dwellings. If a property is 75 years or older and is historically significant, the Swampscott Historical Commission can delay demolition. In January, the commission imposed a nine-month delay.
The proposed destruction of the Henry Hall House, as it is known, prompted neighbors to ask the commission about how to preserve the character and history of their neighborhood.
As a result, the idea for a local historic district, which would include 39 houses, including most of the properties on Rockland Street, two on Redington Street, one on Rose Street and another on Highland Street, was born.
If Town Meeting accepts the measure, the proposed district must be approved by the state Attorney General and filed at the Essex Registry of Deeds.
At that point, demolition or any large addition to the designated homes must be approved by the local panel.
The Wattendorfs insist the home cannot be saved and they are not interested in restoring it. The couple said they bought the home only to raze it, and that it had been abandoned for a year before their purchase.
Still, in a letter to the Item, Janet Moran wrote that her parents, John and Marilyn Moran, lived in the property for 49 years and left the home in “good condition.”
“Until the sale of the house seven months ago, 57 was the gathering place for family and scores of friends celebrating holidays and special family events,” Moran said. “Wedding photographs were staged against the backdrop of the home’s beautiful marble fireplace and the stunning ocean panorama seen through bright expansive windows.”
Tim Donovan, of 39 Rockland St., said he is concerned the neighborhood could become “condo city” without zoning to prevent development. He cited the planned development district for the former Swampscott Middle School on Greenwood Avenue, which if approved at Town Meeting, would be turned into a 28-unit property.
“Unfortunately 57 was the spark that got the fire going,” Donovan said.
But Sarah Wattendorf called the historic district a “blatant attempt to take away our property rights,” in a letter to Town Meeting.
The Henry Hall House is named after its original owner, a Boston merchant. It was built on the crest of Wenepoykin Hill, an area of large stylish residences, densely settled on the hill to enjoy water views, according to town documents.
Town Meeting members will also decide whether to approve a proposal from B’Nai B’Rith Housing/Covenant Commonwealth Corp. to build an affordable senior housing project at the shuttered Machon Elementary School.
The nonprofit that builds affordable homes for seniors in Greater Boston, proposed Senior Residences at the Machon. Under the terms of the deal, the nonprofit would sign a 99-year ground lease for $500,000. The complex will include 38 one-bedroom units and three dozen parking spaces. B’Nai B’Rith would reuse the original 1920 building and demolish the 1963 addition.
Other features would include patio and lawn space for residents and access to Jackson Woods. A laundry facility, gym, library and multi-purpose common room would also be on-site.
Neighbors who oppose the project prefer open space on the site of the former school, rather than more development.
If the B’Nai B’Rith proposal passes, officials are considering ways for Swampscott residents to have preference at the facility. Town Administrator Thomas Younger said the maximum for local preference is 70 percent of the units being occupied by residents.
Voters will also consider an amendment to the zoning by-law which would create a planned development district at the vacant former Swampscott Middle School on Greenwood Avenue. The district would allow for construction of 28 units of affordable housing.
The former school was closed in 2007. Voters later approved a zoning change that would allow multi-family construction on the parcel. Five years ago, voters also approved a plan to transform the building into condominiums.
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 multi-family zoning, ruling that reuse of the school did not result in a public purpose. Zoning was reverted back to single-family housing.
If the new zoning change is approved, a Request for Proposals would be issued. Groom Construction, the Salem-based company that originally won approval for condominiums at the site, and has a pending lawsuit against the town, would be eligible to bid. Officials said they hope Groom will submit a bid.
If voters adopt the change, at least 15 percent of the units must be affordable. A second option would allow a builder to contribute to an Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which would be used to pay for affordable housing elsewhere in town. That amount would be no less than 20 percent of the total proposed units multiplied by $25,000.
Neighbors said they have been shut out of the process and the proposed structure is out of scale with the neighborhood.
Town Meeting is tonight at 7:15 p.m. at Swampscott High School, 200 Essex St.
Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley