Voters to weigh in on zoning changes

SWAMPSCOTT – Several planning articles, such as naming four local historic districts, which would affect future development in town will be up for a vote at Monday?s Town Meeting.The districts, already on the National Register of Historic Places, would be the Olmsted Historic District, the Swampscott Fish House, the Swampscott Railroad Depot and the original section of Swampscott Cemetery. The article on the 33-item warrant would set up a design review that would determine if future exterior changes to those sites in view of public ways are historically and architecturally appropriate.Another article would establish the Humphrey Street Overlay District. According to the warrant, the new zoning “would seek to balance aesthetics, energy efficiency and a sense of ?downtown? for the Swampscott community.”Town Planner Brian Szekely said the bylaw would give the town a level of control over future development along Humphrey Street from the monument to the Fish House and use “resident feedback to guide the design criteria for buildings and streetscapes in this area.”An additional zoning article seeks to tie up a loose end in establishing a Smart Growth Zoning Overlay District on the General Glover site at 299 Salem St. Szekely said the site is 2.5 acres in Swampscott and 1.5 acres in Marblehead. In 2009, Marblehead adopted the particular zoning, which promotes increased walking area and open space by having a denser number of housing units per acre, Szekely said, and nothing can be done on the site until both towns adopt the zoning.While the medical marijuana treatment center article may catch people?s eye, Szekely said the matter is procedural. There is no plan for a center in town, he said, but the proposed zoning bylaw would restrict any future center to the town?s industrial district and prohibit any center from being within 1,000 feet of a school or public library.?The impetus for putting it on (the warrant) is there needs to be something on the books,” he said.Among the other general and zoning bylaw articles, Town Meeting members will vote on whether to ban dogs from all cemetery land, all public school and recreation department playgrounds and athletic fields.There are a number of capital projects in one article submitted by the Capital Improvement Committee that include district-wide technology upgrades for the school department, a Department of Public Works fleet replacement program, street paving and a rescue boat for the fire department.The preceding article would approve $303,000 in state Chapter 90 funds, which are used for road projects.Of the general articles at the beginning of the warrant, one looks to increase the cost of living base for those in the town retirement system, one would authorize the sale of a small parcel of town-owned land and the third would consolidate maintenance for the town and the school department. Among the financial articles, Town Meeting members will vote on approving next fiscal year?s budget and continuing revolving accounts for the Council on Aging, recycling bins, recreation and the library.To view the full warrant, visit town.swampscott.ma.us and click the link for the warrant under “News and Notices” on the right.