Developers Unveil Revised Plans For Elm Place Apartment Complex

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — The development company behind a proposed mixed-income housing complex on Elm Place in Swampscott unveiled a revised proposal for the complex that includes a redesigned building, a slight decrease in the number of living units and an increase in dedicated parking spaces.

The proposed changes were in response to a town forum earlier this spring where neighbors criticized the scale of the project and the impact it would have on congestion and parking in the area near the train station.

Under the new proposal, the "modern" design of the original plan was modified to a "New England coastal" design to make the complex appear less industrial and more in line with town architecture.

The height of the building — originally designed to be five stories — was reduced from 60 feet to 45 feet with different parts of the building varying in height to give it a softer appearance from neighboring sightlines. Developers said the overall size of the building was reduced 17 percent from the original proposal.

Parking was increased from a ratio of .84 spaces per unit to 1.03 spaces — or from 84 overall spots to 108.

The new proposal calls for 120 units — a decrease of eight from the original proposal — with 49 of them rented as “affordable” to help the town satisfy its 40B requirement. The new allotment would be 77 one-bedroom apartments, 24 two-bedroom apartments, 13 three-bedroom apartments and seven studio apartments.

The previous plan called for 64 "affordable" units.

WinnDevelopment said it will also make improvements to access to the nearby train station and rail trail to help mitigate the number of residents who will own cars and need parking spaces.

"Our goal is to explain the changes we are considering and listen to community feedback before finalizing our proposal," said WinnDevelopment Executive Vice President Adam Stein said of a virtual community forum held Thursday night. "This is a significant opportunity to contribute to the town of Swampscott's goal of increasing housing for commuters, working people and empty nesters who otherwise could not afford to live there.

"Community input has been important in this process, and we look forward to hearing more from the public in the weeks ahead."

A Change.org petition, which had 890 signatures as of Friday afternoon, called for changes in the proposal and also questioned the viability of having an apartment unit directly next to the train tracks.

The developers said they will take into consideration additional feedback from Thursday's forum — which included residents raising continuing concerns about the parking situation — and incorporate them in a more definitive proposal to be discussed at another public forum in July.

Concerns and questions can be emailed to info@elmplacecommunity.com.

A website with more information on the revised proposal can be found here.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)

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