SWAMPSCOTT — The Hawthorne Reuse Advisory Committee will be holding a public forum on Aug. 20 at Swampscott High School from 7-10 p.m., in order to gauge communal input on what type of future residents envision for the site.
Committee Chair Brian Watson explained to The Daily Item how the committee is wrapping up its stage of analyzing and studying the layout and schematics of the site, in order to best determine the best path forward for whatever comes next.
“We’ve mostly completed our educational and investigation phase. There were issues around figuring out what should go there (on the site), for example, the financial aspect of it, the environmental concerns,” Watson explained. “We’re also looking at the different features on the site, how much park land there should be, how many parking spots. … We’ve had to study the various factors involved in planning a development on the site.”
Watson continued, explaining that among the complexities of the project, the process is not black and white.
“We’re wrapping up the phase where we wanted to study the site and all the different factors involved,” he said. “And with the public forum, we’re looking to brainstorm not just with committee members, but with the public.”
Of the 25 plans originally proposed for consideration, he noted the committee has whittled that number down to a mere six.
“We’re seriously considering six plans out of the original 25,” Watson said. “The committee has decided that we will recommend the demolition of the Hawthorne restaurant, as well as the parking lot.”
He elaborated on that point, saying that there’s a wide range of opinions among the 13 members of the committee, but that the process can also benefit from getting the wide spectrum of ideas, thoughts and concerns from the public.
“We’ve spent a lot of time talking about all those different elements, having each member get familiar with all the factors,” Watson said. “When you think about it, it’s kind of human nature that a committee member might have a favorite idea or way solve the problem through a certain angle — but our task has been to learn everybody’s angle — and we’re looking to hear the community’s concerns as well, so we can also take those into account.
Watson explained that the committee has drawn up roughly 25 different site plans for the future of the location, each detailing a different use and look for what might come next.
“The committee really wanted to represent every valid possibility of the way the site could be developed, they range from 100% green park, all the way to quite a number of buildings on the site,” Watson said. “We started with the idea that there would be no buildings, and that the whole site would be a park. … And then, we slowly considered adding buildings and different features along the way.”
He said it’s been an “organic process” of developing the site. “We’ve been evaluating what the pros and cons of each of those plans are, and we really want to be disciplined about giving every plan a ‘fair shake’ in terms of analyzing them,” he said.
As the committee continued to evaluate the numerous avenues in which they take the development, Watson said they’re constantly “refining the plans and narrowing down the number of plans.”
Watson explained that the committee will also not be recommending a fully green/open space, such as a park.
“That was a near-consensus decision, and the plan we’re aiming to recommend will have a balance of park land, buildings, revenue and parking,” Watson said. “We think those are four ingredients to the plan that we will ultimately recommend.”
He said the committee remains conscious about the varying opinions among community members. “We’ve already heard a lot, and they range all over the place from a full-on park to ‘Save the Hawthorne,’ so the committee has made large progress in getting a handle on the whole project as we start to move in a certain direction,” he said.
The timing for the public forum is perfect, Watson said.
“We have something to report to the town, something they can sink their teeth into. … But at the same time, we want to hear from the town,” he said. “We’re right at the transition phase, we’ve done a lot of investigative work, and we’re ready to get into looking at what type of plan we recommend.”
The committee’s aim to receive public input will continue to be a thorough and continuous aspect of the committee’s work on the project. There will also be another public forum for the community to attend on Sep. 18, at the same place and time (Swampscott High School, 7-10 p.m.)
