SWAMPSCOTT — The Select Board voted Wednesday night to offer a temporary lease at the former Hawthorne by the Sea restaurant property to the team behind the Swampscott Center for the Performing Arts.
The Hawthorne building was purchased by the Town after the iconic restaurant closed its doors in 2022. For the past four years, the property has been vacant, while the parking lot has been open for public use since last winter. At a Special Town Meeting in December 2025, a vote was passed to allow the Select Board to lease the property short term for a period of 30 months, or until June 30, 2028, while a long term plan for the space is budgeted and developed.
The Town received two proposals over a six-week RFP period for the land. One for the performing arts center, and another for Limited Time Only, a craft beverage hall with a community vibe.
Brian Watson, a Swampscott resident who served as the Chair of the Hawthorne Reuse Advisory Committee, opposed the short term lease option. Watson voiced his concerns during the public comment section of the meeting.
“I want to comment, with some degree of horror, at the two RFP responses the Town has received,” he said. “It just seems unnecessary, and it’s not worth the time at large.”
Watson urged the Select Board to pursue a third option: demolishing the property and taking it into the long-term use stage immediately. He shared an estimate for demolition with the board which amounted to approximately $500,000, a sum far below the $2 million placeholder that is currently in the Town’s capital plan.
Select Board Chair Katie Phelan said, though the cost might be far less than estimated, there are still obstacles to the demolition.
“We don’t have $500,000,” she said. “Even if we went out tomorrow with an RFP to redevelop based on demolition, by the time you went through RFP development… having a due diligence period and then taking down the building? You’re probably at the end of this lease.”
Phelan’s comments came on the heels of Monday’s Select Board meeting, where Town Administrator Nick Connors presented the members of the board with his proposed FY2027 budget. His proposed Town budget increased by 7.7%, and resulted in what Vice Chair Doug Thompson called an “unacceptable bottom line for taxpayers.”
While the Select Board sent Connors’ budget back for tightening on Monday, the reality of new contracts and increasing prices for costs like waste management and health care will result in a spending increase. With this in mind, the ability to bring in revenue in the immediate future for the Hawthorne property was a priority for the Select Board.
“When I think about the standard that I will use to sort of cast my die here, it is the best interest of the Town,” Phelan said. “Is that the best interest of our community members?… What’s bringing in the most money? Because that’s an interest of the community.”
A price proposal for the total value of the lease was included as a part of the RFP response form. The Limited Time Only option came in with a $30,000 bid, while the Swampscott Center for the Performing Arts was listed at $300,000.
“I do think one is better than the other,” said Select Board member MaryEllen Fletcher. “It’s $300,000… an opportunity to make some additional money in there while we get to a shovel ready project. I personally feel that taking that step is in the best interest of the community.”
Aside from the lease income, board members identified some further financial impacts of both plans. The Limited Time Only plan included a non-traditional eatery space, with the potential for civic and community use outside of set dining hours. Part of this plan included an outdoor space catered by food trucks.
The Swampscott Center for the Performing Arts proposal included a more traditional service model, including a restaurant, which would likely increase tax revenue for the Town.
“When we talk about food and beverage — you don’t get food and beverage from a food truck. You do get food and beverage from a brick and mortar,” Phelan said.
Select Board member Danielle Leonard shared concerns on the arts center project because it relied heavily on the existing infrastructure of the building, which she said is not in great shape.
“What happens when they get in there and they can’t utilize that kitchen? Or there is a bigger problem associated with actually generating the food and beverage revenue that we’re so heavily counting on?” Leonard said.
Leonard said she worried that the Town would be on the hook as a landlord of the property for any repairs that needed to be made. Connors said that, while the Town would be liable if any accidents or injuries occurred, the building in its current state was a part of the lease agreement, and the Town would not be financially responsible for making changes to accommodate any proposals.
The Select Board held a roll call vote, with Fletcher, Phelan, Leonard, and Thompson voting in favor of the Swampscott Center for the Performing Arts proposal, and Select Board member David Grishman voting against. The performing arts group has 30 days to accept and finalize the lease agreement.
Members of the Select Board were in agreement that planning for the next phase of the Hawthorne redevelopment should begin immediately, with an RFP for redevelopment going out as soon as the lease agreement is finalized.
“All of us have committed to immediately moving forward with a long-term project here,” Phelan said. “We can, you know, really solidify the fact that this is a limited time offer, and we are going to be proposing something permanent.”
