SWAMPSCOTT — The Planning Board received updates on the latest draft of the Swampscott 2035 Master Plan during its latest meeting, which outlined housing, climate resilience, and economic vitality as core priorities to consider.
Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) Project Manager Carlos J. Montañez began the discussion, explaining that he’s been working with Economic and Community Development Director Marzie Galazka and Senior Planner Christa McGaha, with the goal of presenting the Board with an executive summary of draft one of the Swampscott 2035 Master Plan.
In 2024, the Select Board appointed the Master Plan Committee to work with both Town staff and the MAPC to focus on communal growth and improvement throughout the next decade. This involved creating new policies to move toward a cleaner, greener environment.
“This plan reflects 18 months of community engagement. There were three public forums with about 160 attendees. We had 385 survey responses, generating 1,828 comments. The 27 members of the advisory group met six times and also gave feedback through two input exercises as well,” Montañez said.
He continued that the process was designed to ensure that the final vision reflects community consensus from participating community members, coupled with the recommended best planning practices.
Montañez noted how the Town previously secured a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) designation with action grant funding. He added that the Town has advanced compliance for the MBTA Communities Act, as well as accessory dwelling unit bylaws that were recently approved.
“Additionally, eight businesses were supported with $75,000 in facade improvement grants, and this plan proposes to accelerate this existing momentum while tackling bigger challenges that require a more sustained effort,” Montañez said. “We want to be clear what the master plan is and isn’t: It’s a shared vision, a flexible roadmap… It’s not legally binding.”
He added that Town staff will still retain final discretion for the master plan.
Montañez said there were four major themes that consistently emerged throughout the period of community engagement and public input: housing, climate resilience, infrastructure, and economic vitality.
Part of the plan includes actions and initiatives that aim to be completed between 2026-2028. Montañez said these include water quality improvements at King’s Beach, more Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility, completion of the Rail Trail, and foundational planning to focus on financial stability.
The plan also identifies four types of areas for growth and improvement, each with a different strategic approach.
The first was “transformation,” which focuses on growth and re-imagining key nodes such as Vinnin Square and the Rail Station. The second, “strengthen,” aims to fix deficiencies and critical infrastructure assets like King’s Beach and Fisherman’s Pier. “Enhance,” the third area, looks to improve existing assets and connectivity along Humphrey Street and the Rail Trail. The fourth category focuses on protecting the character of the neighborhoods in town, as well as key and natural resources.
“The three critical areas that emerged with overwhelming community consensus touched on critical infrastructure and resilience, multimodal connectivity, and vibrant, walkable hubs,” Montañez said.
The scope of work for addressing the infrastructure includes funding seawall improvements and integrating the Town’s 2025-2030 Hazard Mitigation Plan. For multimodal connectivity, the work entails expediting the completion of the Town’s Rail Trail to connect schools, transit, and key districts for both recreation and transportation.
There would also be a focus on revitalizing Vinnin Square into a walkable, mixed-use hub with new housing and employment opportunities.
“For our next steps, we have to determine when the public comment period will be once draft 1.5 is done. Final draft number two would follow for potential adoption by the Planning Board in the spring or summer,” Montañez said.
Planning Board Chair Ted Dooley said a lot of the topics referenced in the master plan draft are things the Town has already made progress on in the last 12-18 months.
“I think we’ve re-zoned almost every parcel in Vinnin Square within the last four years across four zoning bylaws. I appreciate keeping momentum going and making the change. At the same time, I don’t want to close one eye and forget the last few where we’ve done a lot of momentum on sustaining things. For example, the Hadley Hotel, Vinnin Square, and the Hawthorne parcel.
“I just want to have that in mind because I think if someone were to read the master plan in two years, they’d be like, ‘Oh, nothing’s happened in Vinnin Square.’ I just wonder if there’s a way to use recent history to inform some of those objectives, so that we’re not ignoring some of the significant progress that’s been made in the last couple years,” Dooley said.
After continued public input and revisions from the Town and MAPC, a final version of the 2035 Master Plan will be presented to the Select Board for approval.
