SWAMPSCOTT — The Select Board voted unanimously to approve and sign the deed for a land parcel in a wooded area on Archer Street that the town plans to convert into public space at its regular meeting Wednesday.
Swampscott residents voted 214-3 to approve the acquisition of three land parcels for a total of $8.875 million at the town’s June Town Meeting this year. Two of the three parcels are wooded areas adjacent to Archer Street that add up to approximately 9.5 acres, while the third is the property at 149 Humphrey Street. The Select Board signed the deed for a 5-acre parcel on Archer Street, overlooking Clarke Park in Lynn.
“I think it’s an incredible acquisition of open space,” Select Board member David Grishman said. “I’m incredibly excited for the entire town and our neighbors in precinct one. I’m looking forward to working with the Girl Scouts, the Boy Scouts, and other volunteers to blaze some trails and get lost in the woods a bit.”
The town also plans to acquire the land parcel at zero Archer St. which is approximately 4.5 acres of additional undeveloped land. Since 2013, developers attempting to build housing on the parcel have been denied due to safety concerns.
With only 19 acres of buildable land existent in Swampscott, the town’s Archer Street acquisitions mean it is purchasing about half of all developable land left in Swampscott, according to local nonprofit North Shore Realtors.
This year, the town also negotiated its acquisition of 149 Humphrey Street known as “Hawthorne by the Sea” from its current owners for $7 million. Following the Town Meeting’s authorization of funding for the acquisition, the property’s current owners were given about a year to cease operations. Select Board members said Swampscott residents will determine the property’s future use at the 2023 Town Meeting.
After the Select Board’s deed signing Wednesday, the 5-acre Archer Street parcel deal is set to close by the end of the month, according to Town Clerk Jared LaLiberte.
“Town Meeting authorized the town to acquire it over the summer and we are finally at the point of closing that transaction with the owners,” Select Board Chair Neal Duffy said. “We hope to put a conservation restriction on that land over the next few weeks or month.”
Also at its meeting Wednesday, the Select Board opened a warrant and set a date for Swampscott’s next Special Town Meeting. It will take place at 7 p.m. on Dec. 5 of this year.
