Swampscott properties to be available for purchase

SWAMPSCOTT – Several town-owned buildings are going up for sale next week.Selectman Jill Sullivan, who is on the Town Building Oversight Committee, said Request for Proposals (RFP) for the former Temple Israel, the former middle school on Greenwood Avenue and the former Phillips Beach Fire Station would be published in the Central Register Wednesday. The Central Register is a weekly publication that lists state, county and municipal contracts being put out to bid.”Once it is published the properties are officially for sale and off we go,” Sullivan said. “Request for Proposal packages for all three properties will be available at Town Hall beginning June 24 for prospective respondents.”Sullivan pointed out price is not the only factor when it comes to RFP’s.”There is a very detailed set of development criteria for each property,” she said. “We will select a developer based on responsiveness to the design guidelines, qualifications of the respondent and price.”The completed RFP’s for the fire station site are due Wednesday, Aug. 5 and the ones for the other two properties must be submitted by Wednesday, Aug. 26.Town Meeting-approved zoning changes would allow the former Phillips Beach Fire Station to be developed as a single family home and it requires the historic Craftsman character of the structure to be preserved.The former middle school on Greenwood Avenue has been zoned for up to 41 residential units and the zoning passed at the annual Town Meeting allows a development of up to 42 residential units on the temple site.The extensive RFP’s issued for each site detail specifics required in the design and development for each site including any required preservation of the existing building, architectural details, parking and green space so the developments would fit in with the existing neighborhood.Sullivan said she is pleased the process is moving forward and the sale of the properties would benefit the town in numerous ways.”Empty buildings are kind of sad and dreary,” she said. “We will garner revenue from the sale of the properties and the long term revenue generating potential is the real benefit.”Sullivan added money from the sale of surplus properties could not be used to balance the budget or supplement the operating budget. According to state statute, any money from the sale of town-owned properties must be used to pay off any debt on the property being sold and to fund other capital projects.Sullivan said once the properties are developed and put back on the tax rolls, she estimates the three parcels would generate an additional $400,000 to $500,000 a year in tax revenue for the town.