SWAMPSCOTT — Community members provided input on the town’s draft Housing Production Plan and Housing Needs Assessment at a meeting hosted by the Office of Community and Economic Development Monday.
Meeting attendees gave feedback on an updated version of Swampscott’s 2016 Housing Production Plan, which sought to address rising housing costs, affordability gaps, and severe cost burdens. The updated plan suggests strategies to promote affordable, appropriate, and accessible housing in response to recent demographic shifts including a declining younger population, yet gains in the number of Swampscott residents overall.
The updated Housing Production Plan identifies four main priorities including the addition of more subsidized rentals, an increased variety of housing options, construction of handicapped-adaptable housing, and support for necessary home improvements.
“Right on the water, situated in the North Shore, with a Commuter Rail station, we have lots of things that make Swampscott wonderful,” Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald said. “The problem is the word is out and people vote with their feet. We have more and more people looking to enjoy the quality of life in this beautiful little bubble. In order for us to be getting ahead of the adverse impacts of housing that might not make sense, we need to really have thoughtful, mindful conversations about housing efforts that make sense.”
At the community housing workshop Monday, residents learned that of the town’s 6,362 year-round housing units, only 251, or 3.95 percent qualified for inclusion in Swampscott’s Subsidized Housing Inventory, or SHI. However, if the proposed Elm Place development, a 114-unit affordable housing building, is completed, the number of SHI units will rise to 371, or 5.8 percent. Town staff members also noted significant income disparities in town, with 17 percent of households earning less than $25,000 and 50 percent earning more than $100,000.
Community and Economic Development Director Marzie Galazka said community members voiced concerns about a lack of available land for development, as well as costs related to land acquisition and construction. Galazka said, as a result of these concerns, vertical construction of affordable housing units will likely be necessary. She added that the town has identified Vinnin Square as a potential location.
“We have a crisis in the Commonwealth and we have a crisis within Swampscott in ensuring our residents have access to quality, affordable housing, so we are looking at our neighborhoods to try to figure out where it makes the most sense,” Fitzgerald said. “That doesn’t mean a 5- or 6-story housing complex belongs in every neighborhood in Swampscott but it also doesn’t mean we shouldn’t consider it.”
In addition to providing affordable rental units, the updated plan prioritizes avenues that will make first-time home ownership more attainable for young Swampscott families currently priced out of the housing market. This prioritization comes following a Metropolitan Area Planning Council report which projects that adults aged 65 and older will represent nearly 30 percent of Swampscott’s population by 2030. In comparison, that group represented only 18 percent of the town’s residents in 2010.
“If you have an aging community, then you don’t necessarily have a super vibrant community,” Galazka said. “You don’t have a vibrant downtown. You maybe don’t have a demand for a variety of services. We have to account for the ability to sustain our economy.”
Fitzgerald and Galazka said the town will continue to hold public meetings and seek community input. Residents can view the updated draft Housing Production Plan on the town’s website.
“We’ve been talking about this for too long,” Fitzgerald said. “We have got to get busy putting our words into action and show folks that we mean what we say when we are talking about affordable housing.”
Rachel Barber can be reached at [email protected].
