The Swampscott Planning Board is considering a zoning amendment that would preserve commercial space on Humphrey Street on the first floor of mixed-use buildings.
Senior Planner Christa McGaha presented the idea to the Planning Board at a meeting Monday night, suggesting that there have been “quite a few inquiries” about residential space recently. Currently, there are no provisions “protecting that existing ground floor” retail space from being converted to residential use, McGaha said.
“This doesn’t align with the purpose of the Humphrey Overlay District,” McGaha noted.
Currently, there is “no rhyme or reason” to the zoning along Humphrey Street, according to Planning Board Member Angela Ippolito. She noted that Pine Street and the neighborhoods near the railroad station also have faced similar issues of business spaces converting into residential spots.
This “flipping” mentality, Ippolito said, limits creativity in how spaces are used and deters long-term owners.
McGaha said the town is trying to “protect” the Humphrey Street Overlay District, noting the area differs from the national trend favoring residential over commercial space.
“It’s something we want to preserve,” McGaha said, noting the change wouldn’t happen “overnight,” but would affect the corridor’s mixed-use character.
The Planning Board agreed the area is “vibrant right now.”
Recently, Humphrey Street has seen a lot of new business openings. Pomona Cafe expanded to a second adjacent space to create a wine bar area. Further down the street, new storefronts like Three Hundred Fifty bakery and flower shop Salty Dogwood have joined the Humphrey Street corridor. Two athletic facilities will also open soon.
McGaha said the amendment is timely given the ongoing work at the former Hawthorne-by-the-Seaproperty.
“I do think the conversation around the Hawthorne property is very important,” McGaha said, noting the passion within the community and the work of the advisory committee. “We have to be very, very international on how we state that…I want to make sure it doesn’t feel that they just went through this process but we recommend this.”
Ippolito noted the “pressures we’re facing.”
“We’re constantly being pushed, with even the Hawthorne property now…there’s a whole school of thought that thinks there should be some residential use on that property,” said Ippolito, who served on the Hawthorne Advisory Committee. “I think what was concerning to me was that there was a sense when the town voted to buy the property that at least a portion of it belonged to the town.”
McGaha suggested the simplest way for the board to move forward is to regular the conversion of commercial space, which would have to go in front of Town Meeting to officially put in place. She said the measure would support the town’s long-term economic vitality.
A conversion control would benefit the town by preserving existing commercial uses as well as providing flexibility for case-by-case review.
The typical criteria for a special permit, if the conversion control is in place, would be demonstrated vacancy, showing no viable commercial demand, McGaha said.
McGaha said she will begin drafting ideas based on the board’s feedback for a future meeting. She said the group can potentially have a warrant ready in time for the fall Town Meeting but “at the very least we should have something for a special permit for conversion of commercial to residential.”
