SWAMPSCOTT — Town Meeting members voted to amend the town’s zoning bylaw to take into account Section 3A of Massachusetts General Laws, which requires municipalities that are considered MBTA communities to have at least one zoning district where multifamily housing is permitted.
Swampscott is considered an MBTA community due to the presence of its Commuter Rail station and bus lines. Two of the biggest requirements of the law are a density of 15 units per acre and a minimum multifamily-unit capacity of 954. The deadline to reach compliance with the Commonwealth’s mandate is Dec. 31.
The approved article comfortably surpasses the minimum requirements, with 35 and 25 units per acre in the Essex Street and Vinnin Square overlays, respectively, and a multifamily-unit capacity of 1,148.
Planning Board member Angela Ippolito made a motion in support of the article that was sponsored by the board. Then, there was a presentation that outlined the details of the article and a discussion among attending voters.
Director of Planning and Use S. Peter Kane listed some potential benefits of the town amending the bylaw, such as maintaining eligibility for certain state funding and creating support for local businesses by establishing a greater residential presence. He revealed that Town Hall has acquired more than $3 million in state grants for projects throughout the last five years.
The bylaw amendment increases the potential amount of residential units that could be developed in both overlays. According to the town’s presentation, the Essex Street overlay could gain up to 106 additional units, while the Vinnin Square overlay could gain 389.
The law requires that 20% of the total area zoned must be within half a mile of the Commuter Rail station, however, Kane said that the town was able to make 33% fall within that classification.
Resident Terry Lorber expressed his support for the article, saying that the addition of residences in town could lead to reduced tax rates.
“New residential development remains the only proven method for reducing tax increases,” Lorber said. “If more people are paying property taxes, then the pressure on our tax rate can decrease.”
Damon Demady advocated against the amendment, saying that Swampscott is already too densely populated to accommodate additional residents in these locations.
“I’ve lived here now 14 years, and the traffic is terrible. And where it’s worst is exactly where we want to put another 2 to 3,000 people, potentially,” Demady said. “I just can’t imagine trying to get through this town with any more housing… we’re so tiny.”
Jim Smith also supported Article 19. However, he said that Swampscott and the Commonwealth as a whole still have a sizable amount of work to do to create more affordable-housing opportunities.
“We need more housing… we’re losing population as a Commonwealth because we don’t have housing,” Smith said. “Let’s not pat ourselves too hard on the back, we haven’t solved the housing problem. It’s a minimum, let’s understand that.”
