During Wednesday’s Select Board meeting, Town Administrator Nick Connors launched the process for a Request for Proposals (RFP) to determine the long-term future of the former Hawthorne-by-the-Sea property.

Town Meeting Members voted in December to allow the Select Board to lease the former Hawthorne-by-the-Sea restaurant for up to 30 months “to limit carrying costs and protect a key community asset while long-term planning continues.” At Wednesday’s meeting, the Select Board approved the third and final license needed for the  Swampscott Center for Performing Arts to continue its plan with its planned July 3 opening. The center has the space until the end of June 2028.

“I feel strongly that we can complete this before we lose a tenant so we have no period of just an open building and then we would not have to go back to Town Meeting for extensions. I think they made it pretty clear that’s not what they’re interested in,” Select Board Chair Katie Phelan said. 

Connors referenced the RFP timeline for the Hadley Hotel, which took six months from posting to awarding.

“I think this gives you ample time to have robust discussions on the direction you want to go,” Connors said.

The Select Board agreed to target a fall 2026 RFP, allowing a new long-term lease to begin as the Swampscott Center for Performing Arts lease expires.

“We could deliberate all through this summer on what goes into the RFP,” Phelan said. “With the Hadley we had a specific purpose. We had a consultant to manage it, whose only job was to find people within that topic. We had a hotel consultant who was able to leverage those connections. I think this is going to be far different.”

Select Board Vice Chair Danielle Leonard said the board can no longer postpone making decisions about the property’s future.

“Dragging it out any longer is just not what people want,” Leonard said. “I think it’s time to decide what it really is.”

The board started preliminary discussions around what they would look for in the RFP, including whether housing should be involved when the purpose of the purchase was the originally eliminate the possibility for such.

Several residents spoke during public comment Wednesday night, expressing excitement about downtown development along Humphrey Street and the opportunities presented by the Hawthorne property.

Leaders of several town committees focused on open space and environmental issues also addressed the board.

“It’s important we don’t just pave over everything,” Tania Lillak, the chair of the Open Space Committee, said during the public comment section of the Select Board meeting. “We definitely need to think of open space and the greenery and the characteristics of this beautiful town that we have and we need to keep that. This is an opportunity for a beautiful waterfront park, a gateway jewel to our town.”

The Open Space and Recreation Plan Committee, Climate Action and Resilience Committee, Conservation Commission, Tree Committee, and the Swampscott Conservancy chairs penned a 14 page letter to Chair Katie Phelan and Town Administrator Nick Connors, copying in the rest of the Select Board as well. 

“We believe that developing the Hawthorne property be developed (sic) as primarily open space is in line with the position of a large number of the town’s residents who have consistently indicated a preference that the property be mainly developed as a public park and plaza,” the letter reads.

Swampscott is the fifth smallest town in Massachusetts, but it ranks at 25th in population density statewide. About 18% of the town’s land is open space and consists of forests, wetlands or parks. Tree canopy coverage has declined by 8.2% since 2010.

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.

The Hawthorne Re-Use Advisory Committee hosted two community meetings where residents emphasized creating “a place to go,” prioritizing pedestrians over cars, and addressing the short lifespan of businesses on Humphrey Street. Other suggestions included community spaces for food courts, cafés, artisans, and events.

The group acknowledged that parkland already exists near the former restaurant property at the Town Hall Lawn and Linscott Park, but they reiterate that “these areas are not waterfront properties and do not contain the state-of-the-art amenities that a new park at the Hawthorne property could contain.” 

They argued that the open space will enhance wellness, invigorate the downtown area and attract new visitors. 

To ensure coastline access, the group is advocating for the restaurant’s removal. However, they are “not opposed to limited structures on the property.” The letter even provided an artificial intelligence rendering of the property with two-story buildings.

“We strongly oppose selling a portion of the property to a private developer for retail or residential development — especially for the purpose of creating private residential units,” the letter reads. “One of the rationales for the town to buy the property was to avoid the further condoizing of Humphrey Street and to ensure public, not private use of the property.”

Brian Watson, the chair of the Hawthorne Reuse Advisory Committee, spoke during public comment. He clarified that the property doesn’t have to “be all one thing or all another thing.”

“I think a way for the town to think of the site is it’s 1.4 acres and we can do more than one thing,” Watson said. “I think the hybrid plan can meet a lot of the goals a lot of people have expressed.”

What’s Going On With The Property?

At a Special Town Meeting in June 2022, voters overwhelmingly approved acquiring several properties, including the Hawthorne parcel and the Archer Street project. The article authorized the Select Board to acquire 149–169 Humphrey Street by gift, purchase, or eminent domain for municipal use, passing 214–3.

A community brainstorming session in January 2023 identified public community space as the top priority, with strong support for open space and green areas. Multi-use space ranked second, while “iconic” concepts were dominated by open-space ideas.

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

A preliminary design for a glass-encased Swampscott Public Library was unveiled in April 2024. The initial estimated cost of the preliminary design was around $30 million, according to what former Select Board Member Peter Spellios said at the time.

The plan was met with strong opposition from residents, many of whom said at the time that they felt blindsided by the proposal, and the plan was considered a dead end after a public forum in May 2024.

The Select Board created the Hawthorne Re-Use Advisory Committee in February 2025 to develop guidelines and gather community feedback before making recommendations.

At two community meetings, residents emphasized creating “a place to go,” prioritizing pedestrians, and addressing the short lifespans of businesses on Humphrey Street. Other ideas included community spaces for food courts, cafés, artisans, and events.

The committee recently agreed to present Plan G1 to the Select Board. The plan features two rows of buildings, totaling around 25,000 square feet if two stories, set perpendicular to the road with a 40-foot opening to maintain views into the courtyard and open-space area. The model includes roughly 28 parking spaces.

A few weeks prior to the Hawthorne Re-Use Advisory Committee’s presentation, Town Administrator Nick Connors informed the Select Board on November 6 that he had learned of the Athanas family’s decision to vacate on October 23, discovering that some of their personal items were being auctioned that same weekend. The Athanases said the property was sold three years ago and that they are “ready to move on” as the town advances its plans.

This in turn led to the Town Meeting discussion. Article No. 10 authorized the Select Board to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) during the interim planning period.

“Article No. 10 gives us the time and flexibility to keep this landmark protected, active and productive while we finish that work together,” Connors said, adding that by keeping the Hawthorne restaurant open it allows for a “dual-track” approach through  short-term activation and long-term redevelopment. “It’s both fiscally responsible and community driven, ensuring that we generate value rather than costs while we continue forward with this plan.”

Select Board Chair Katie Phelan emphasized that the short-term solution is not a replacement for long-term planning but is meant to “run tandem.”

The Swampscott Center for Performing Arts was awarded the RFP, and the Select Board has now agreed to liquor, entertainment and victualler licenses for the center. 

Johnny Ray has said he plans to have an open house on July 3.

Meanwhile, the town is also exploring the potential purchase of the adjacent St. John’s Church parking lot, which officials say could “unlock the full potential of the site” by enabling a balanced plan that includes green space, parking, and revenue-generating redevelopment.