SWAMPSCOTT — The Select Board has revealed plans to purchase the St. John’s Church parking lot on Humphrey Street.
Select Board Chair MaryEllen Fletcher said during Wednesday’s meeting that the town is currently negotiating with the church to purchase the lot and that the two parties are working on an agreement to move the project forward.
“I think this will be a great opportunity for the town,” Fletcher said. She noted that the board will continue to have executive sessions on the matter as the town continues negotiations with St. John’s pastor Msgr. John McLaughlin.
The lot would be a part of the town’s project to redevelop the Hawthorne site. Marzie Galazka, Director of Economic and Community Development, gave a presentation during the meeting, which addressed a potential timeline for the project.
Back in 2022, a Town Meeting approved the acquisition and funding for the Hawthorne site. Then, in April 2023, the town was presented with three scenarios for what the project might look like.
“All of them showed diverse concepts but also focused on the idea of using open space,” Galazka said.
She noted that in May 2024 the board was able to scale down the three scenarios into a streamlined concept of a library. “The library concept was less than enthusiastic in regard to the feedback we got from residents,” Galazka said. “Therefore, as MaryEllen stated, we really wanted a more public participatory process.”
She highlighted the importance of input and feedback from residents as a helpful element in redeveloping the site.
Galazka outlined a five-stage approach to the redevelopment. The first step would be to create a nine-member advisory committee that would include two members of the Planning Board, one Finance Committee member, one Open Space Committee member, one Conservation Committee member, and four residents with expert professional backgrounds in architecture and engineering.
The next phases include a combination of holding public forums, developing an action plan, securing funding, and a design team before the town can continue.
“Each phase will have a public participatory process where people can share their ideas and help advance the project,” Galazka said. “The acquisition of the parking lot can really assist with the special needs of the project.”
