SWAMPSCOTT — Vinnin Square has long been one of Swampscott’s busiest commercial areas. The Swampscott Mall property is getting another glow-up, with new restaurants coming in alongside plans to bring housing developments to the site.
“We’re looking forward to it as much as everybody else in town it seems is looking forward to it,” Owner Andrew Rose said.
Steel frames now stand in the middle of the plaza, marking visible progress on the latest phase of the project that will bring three new eateries and a 163-unit apartment complex to the property.
The project is being led by Rose, who bought a portion of the 555 Essex St. lot in 2023. Rose’s ownership of this portion has allowed him to move forward with a broader redevelopment vision in coordination with the town.
That is a vision that has taken shape over the past several years. In May 2023, Town Meeting approved zoning changes for the Vinnin Square district to allow mixed-use development, with the goal of strengthening the commercial tax base while also opening the door for new housing. Plans outlined at the time called for a more walkable, modern center with a mix of retail, dining, and residential uses.
In recent years, work has been underway to transform the look and feel of the plaza. The plans call for updates to the site’s appearance, the addition of green space, and the construction of new standalone restaurant buildings in what had previously been parking areas. It’s all part of an effort to create a more lifestyle center style of development rather than a traditional strip mall.
Among the incoming tenants are First Watch, a Florida-based breakfast and brunch chain with hundreds of locations nationwide, and Shake Shack, the New York-founded burger chain. The third restaurant tenant has not been publicly announced, but Rose described it as a “fast-casual” eatery.
The three new buildings are being constructed in the center of the plaza, continuing that shift in layout. The project also includes the addition of a 163-unit apartment complex, adding a residential component to the site.
During the rezoning process, town officials pointed to the housing component as aligning with the state’s MBTA Communities Act, which requires communities served by or near MBTA transit lines to create zoning districts that allow multifamily housing by right. Swampscott has been compliant with the MBTA Communities Act since a Town Meeting vote in 2024, with zoning policies like the Vinnin Square developments helping to move the town in the right direction.
The redevelopment comes as Vinnin Square has already begun to see a wave of new activity, particularly on the dining side. Sam Walker’s American Tavern opened last December, in another redevelopment effort that combined the former Bertucci’s and Olympia Sports spaces. The new 10,000-square-foot restaurant has been a steady draw to the area.
“So far, Sam Walker’s is a success, and hopefully, you know, the rest will turn out as well as Sam Walker’s did.” Rose said.
While specific opening dates have not been finalized, the remaining restaurants are expected to open “toward the end of the year,” Rose said.
With construction now visible in the center of the plaza and more openings coming within the year, the changes at Vinnin Square are beginning to move from planning stages into something residents can see taking shape every day.
