Swampscott board members support proposed replacement for building destroyed in blaze

SWAMPSCOTT – Planning board members expressed support for a proposed one-story commercial building to replace the three-story mixed-use building on Humphrey Street destroyed in a fire this March.”It’s in our interest to do something nice,” the project’s architect Walter Jacobs told the planning board at its Monday evening meeting. “We think (this project) would be nice for the (owners) and nice for the town.”No one was injured in the early morning March 2 blaze, but the fire completely destroyed six residences and six businesses at 128-140 Humphrey St. Since then, all but two businesses lost in the fire have reopened or been consolidated in other locations.The proposed building – which was presented to the board for preliminary comment before the site plan review – has 4,022 square feet of commercial space that is divided into six units of between 600 and 800-square feet, according to plans presented at the meeting. Jacobs noted that this is significantly smaller than the site’s previous building – which measured 10,735 square feet on three levels – but that the proposed building was designed with the possibility to add a second story at a later date. Developer Jayne Orloff – who owns the building with her family – said that a second story was prohibitively expensive at the current time.Most of the board’s discussion focused on the prominence of the building site, which is the “gateway” to the town and its main commercial district from Rt. 129. The site also abuts the Hadley School, Linscott Park and Monument Avenue, as well as sits across from Kings Beach.With these factors in mind, board members praised the proposed building’s attractiveness to pedestrian shoppers and relationship to the street and neighboring properties. Jacobs described the style as a “typical New England storefront” and added a prominent cupola above the corner unit in order to distinguish the building. The building also features windows overlooking Linscott Park, and board members George Potts and Sylvia Belkin both suggested that the developers perhaps add landscaping and outdoor seating along that side of the building to create more outdoor space for commercial establishments.”I like to see outdoor spaces that it’s nice to walk along,” said board member Angela Ippolito. “This has a nice inviting look.”Developers said that they hoped to begin the project as soon as possible.