SWAMPSCOTT — Those who support veterans’ housing in Swampscott have mixed views on the future of 12-24 Pine St as a 30-40-unit veterans’ affordable housing complex.
In two weeks, Town Meeting will vote whether to authorize the Select Board to purchase the 15,700-square-foot property for use as affordable housing “with a preference for veterans.” The vote would also allow the Select Board to renovate or expand the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 1240, located on a town-owned lot adjacent to the building.
Precinct 6 Town Meeting member Bill DiMento has served on Town Meeting for more than 50 years, and said he doubts it will vote to approve the creation of veterans’ housing.
“I don’t think it’s likely that they’ll approve it, but hoping and praying they do,” DiMento said. “The reason for that is Swampscott has two cultures — one that cares and one that doesn’t. We talk a lot, but we don’t do much.”
DiMento said the town’s decision to propose the conversion of the Hadley Elementary School into a hotel showed its lack of care about affordable housing. He said he served on the advisory committee that suggested three potential uses for the old school — affordable senior housing, a community center, or a boutique hotel. Although DiMento said costs associated with senior housing were “very viable,” Town Meeting will vote May 15 on whether to convert Hadley into a boutique hotel.
Even if Town Meeting approves the purchase, DiMento said he is skeptical that the Select Board would use the property for veterans’ affordable housing.
Retired Army National Guard Col. Brig. Gen. Andrea Gayle-Bennett is a member of E.F. Gilmore Chapter 64 of Disabled American Veterans (DAV), where she supports Swampscott and Lynn veterans.
The DAV meets at the current Post 1240 building, and Gayle-Bennett said she feared the post would lose its meeting space if the Select Board decides to tear down the adjacent lot during construction at Pine Street.
“What happens to the four organizations that meet there? We meet there and when that building is gone, then what happens when they build affordable housing?” Gayle-Bennett said.
Gayle-Bennett said she was skeptical that the property would be used for its preferred purpose of providing affordable housing “with a preference for veterans.”
“They say it’s veterans’ housing, I trust it’s going to be for veterans’ housing, but I would like some way to verify that that is what is going to happen,” she said. “Swampscott has a history of not always completely fulfilling their promises.”
Select Board Acting Chair David Grishman has been in conversation with VFW Post 1240 leaders about the purchase. He said he wants to make it “abundantly clear” that the purchased property would be used for veterans’ housing and a new VFW post.
He said that although the property would be for veterans, the town would have to comply with the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits housing discrimination based on veteran status, among other classes.
“We need to make sure that we’re in compliance with Fair Housing, but there will be a local preference for Swampscott veterans,” Grishman said.
Grishman added that the VFW post would not be torn down without plans in place to build a new gathering space for veterans.
“If a new post is going to be constructed, the old post would be demolished, but it wouldn’t be demolished without a plan to replace it, or without having a meeting space for the VFW and the other various veterans’ organizations,” Grishman said.
VFW Post 1240 Cmdr. Patrick Burke said he has been in communication with Grishman and other Select Board members, and hopes to soon iron out specific details indicating that the building will be used for veterans’ housing.
Although the warrant article only vaguely mentions the property’s preference for veterans’ housing, Burke said the town has clearly stated that the housing would be for veterans, and that he is confident that the town will use the property for its promised purpose.
“We’re looking forward to hearing the details on how this targeted veterans’ housing comes and the new VFW comes to conclusion,” Burke said. “We want to see the details of how it becomes veterans’ housing — not tries to be, not maybe, not should be, it will be veterans’ housing or nothing.”
