Swampscott Planning Board continues review

SWAMPSCOTT – Members of the Planning Board proposed continuing to review zoning on Humphrey Street to create a downtown overlay district that better reflects and enhances the street’s mix of residential and commercial properties.”There is a big corridor of properties that have special (zoning) permits or are grandfathered,” said Planning Board Chair Patrick Jones at the board’s Monday night meeting. “I think you can make a case for a downtown overlay district. I suggest reviewing zoning bylaws and asking what would we like to see now and what is allowing it not to happen.”An overlay district essentially applies special zoning to specific geographic areas. The last zoning bylaw review was completed in 2009 after several initiatives by various subcommittees to investigate Humphrey Street and development at other town sites.Planning Board members at their May 16 meeting said they were eager to identify and complete the unfinished steps from these previous initiatives. But discussing recent issues facing the town – including condo developments, the new police station, and more – left board members “overwhelmed,” said member Sylvia Belkin.”There are so many planning issues in this town that we need to address,” said Belkin.Ultimately, members agreed that continuing the 2009 zoning bylaw review would best ensure that the community was proactive rather than reactive when it came to development on Humphrey Street properties.”Someday somebody’s going to come in and we need to be in a position to know what we want it to look like,” Belkin said.