The Hawthorne Re-use Advisory Committee has begun exploring what a two-parcel redevelopment project could look like along Humphrey Street.

The town purchased the parcels at 149–169 Humphrey Street in 2022, and they have been the subject of ongoing discussion ever since. The committee has met regularly to advise the Select Board on the potential future use and redevelopment of the site. The town is still considering the potential purchase of the parking lot next to Hawthorne-by-the-Sea, currently owned by St. John’s Church.

Several committee members expressed frustration over revisiting design models instead of simply expanding the existing Hawthorne-by-the-Sea plan to include both lots.

“We created a whole lot of principles. We achieved everything we wanted to achieve,” Hawthorne Re-use Advisory Committee Chair Brian Watson said. “The interesting thing is that the park you get from a double lot site is almost double what you’d get at a single lot site when it’s just half the site.”

Select Board Member Mary Ellen Fletcher shared her perspective and responded to questions from the committee.

“It just changes what all of the facts are. It just changes the pieces,” Fletcher said. “We do have facts that we have to look out, serious financial facts.”

Fletcher declined to comment on negotiations between the town and the church regarding the lot, but acknowledged “they’re there.” The Select Board has recently held executive sessions to discuss the “purchase, exchange, lease, or value of real property” for parcels at 153 and 187 Humphrey Street.

However, Fletcher noted that acquiring the second parcel “adds another feature,” shifting the discussion toward whether or not to demolish the Hawthorne-by-the-Sea restaurant.

“It adds another feature,” Fletcher said. “You have to understand, we have had restaurateurs come in and look at the situation, and there is a possibility there.”

Vice Chair Joe Markarian agreed, adding that the park space many residents and committee members support could fully occupy what is currently the parking lot.

“That does change the dynamic of that park,” Markarian said. 

Fletcher also said the town is exploring grant and reimbursement opportunities to help fund a potential park.

Efforts to conserve the area date back to 1893, when the state formed the Metropolitan Park Commission, which proposed acquiring Kings Beach via the Fish House.

Frederick Law Olmsted, who has been called the Father of Landscape Architecture, once described parks as the “lungs of the city” and the “heart of the community.” Hired by the Swampscott Land Division, Olmsted and his firm developed a layout designed to showcase the natural beauty of the shoreline and harbor. He had created a subdivision plan for Swampscott, which worked to enhance the natural roads with houses that reflected popular New England architectural styles of the time. 

Between roughly 1900 and 1967, when the Hawthorne-by-the-Sea restaurant was built, Humphrey Street was lined with various buildings.

At the 2022 Special Town Meeting, then-Finance Committee member Tim Dorsey said there could be opportunities for federal and state grants to support open space development.

According to the Swampscott Conservancy, an artist’s rendering of a park-like vision “led many to vote in favor of buying the land at Town Meeting.” The concept featured 20 parking spaces, walking trails, a park café or restaurant, pergolas, open lawn space, and a scenic beach overlook.

In January of 2023, there was a half-day community brainstorming session. Community space was seen as the most important priority. The strongest support was for “park/open space/green space,” with multi-use space coming in second. When it came to “iconic” concepts, open space ideas overwhelmingly led the way.

A town survey, presented at the April 3, 2024 Select Board meeting, found that residents ranked public park and open space as the “most important” use for the property. Waterfront access was also seen as “important,” while creating revenue was considered “less important,” and off-street public parking ranked as “not important.”

In an on-the-street survey conducted by the Swampscott Tides, most of the dozen-plus residents interviewed said they opposed adding retail space to the Hawthorne property.

At the committee’s first public meeting in August, 25% of residents supported preserving the entire property as a park, 28% favored 75% green space, and another 25% supported devoting at least half the site to parks. Attendees also voiced strong support for pedestrian-friendly areas and community gathering spaces, along with skepticism about the long-term viability of retail along Humphrey Street.

The latest community survey, shared at the committee’s second public meeting in September, revealed a broader divide: of 545 responses, 230 (42.2%) favored a full-site park, while 244 (44.8%) supported either the streetscape and courtyard designs or a blend of buildings, parking, and park space. Only a small number of residents supported preserving the existing restaurant and parking lot as-is.

Still, the discussion around a potential two-lot redevelopment model is expected to continue in future meetings.

“We’re not going to rock the boat tonight,” Watson said.