This fall, the Swampscott Tides asked readers which of the town's major projects they were most excited about. The Rail Trail came first with 30.1% of responses. The Vinnin Square redevelopment drew 5.1%, and Veterans Crossing drew 2.2%.
When you put those projects in the order they will actually open, the list comes out close to upside down. A breakfast restaurant at Vinnin Square is aiming for late January. The Rail Trail, which topped the poll, is still in preliminary design at MassDOT. Its construction start is listed for summer 2029. The next few years of Swampscott's calendar are easier to follow in that order, working outward from the nearest date.
| Project | Share of Tides reader poll | Next dated milestone, as reported |
|---|---|---|
| Vinnin Square | 5.1% | First Watch targeting January 25 |
| Delamar Hotel | 16.2% | Permits and financing due February 2027; completion expected November 2029 |
| Veterans Crossing | 2.2% | Expected to open at the beginning of 2028 |
| Hawthorne property | 22.1% | Performing arts lease ends June 2028 |
| Rail Trail | 30.1% | MassDOT lists construction beginning Summer 2029 |
| Glover Residences | 5.9% | Next step is Marblehead's Planning Board, not yet scheduled |
Vinnin Square Opens First, One Storefront at a Time
The earliest target date in town belongs to a breakfast chain. At its October 21 meeting, the Select Board voted unanimously to grant a liquor license to the First Watch under construction at Vinnin Square. According to the Swampscott Tides, regional vice president Michael Lankowski told the board he expects the restaurant to open January 25, though "that can change." The Tides reported that the restaurant will have about 30 tables and a patio, with a menu built around breakfast, brunch and lunch.
Three more restaurants are on their way to the same plaza:
- Just Salad is building in the former Flip the Bird space, and the company's website lists Swampscott as "coming soon."
- CAVA got permission from the Zoning Board of Appeals in August to put up a third sign.
- Shake Shack has been before the Zoning Board of Appeals for a third façade sign, measuring 41.6 feet, at 450 Paradise Road. Plans place it on an outparcel set back from the road.
Some of the turnover has already happened. Sam Walker's American Tavern is in the former Bertucci's space, and Fit Ritual, a fitness center, replaced Fast and Beauty. The largest piece of the project comes last. A 163-unit apartment building is going up behind the Stop & Shop, and Andrew Rose, a principal at owner Centercorp, has estimated that construction will wrap up by the end of 2027.
Part of the reason Vinnin Square moves fastest is that its tenants need sign permits and licenses from town boards, not a vote of Town Meeting.
December 7 Settles One Question and Postpones Another
The next public date comes before any restaurant opens. Town Meeting convenes Monday, December 7, 2026, at 7 p.m. at Swampscott High School, 200 Essex Street, according to the town calendar.
One article on the warrant would change the zoning for the Burrill Senior Center Planned Development District at 89 Burrill St. so that clubs, lodges and fraternal organizations would be allowed there, a step tied to moving VFW Post 1240 to that site. Itemlive reported that the Select Board closed the warrant on October 21 and that the amendment goes to Town Meeting regardless of whether the board endorses it. The VFW move is linked to Veterans Crossing. That project would put 41 one-bedroom apartments at 12-24 Pine St., and Town Administrator Nick Connors has said it should open at the beginning of 2028.
The proposed 40R Smart Growth district near the commuter rail station, around Columbia Street and Railroad Avenue, was taken off the December warrant. Officials hope it can be discussed next spring.
February 2027 Is the Delamar Hotel's Real Test
The Delamar Hotel has the most finished plans of any project on the list. The hotel would occupy the former Hadley Elementary School at 24 Redington St., which was built in 1910. Plans call for 57 rooms, a two-level restaurant with a speakeasy, a spa, a ballroom of about 120 guests in the old gymnasium, and a seasonal rooftop deck overlooking Linscott Park. The restaurant and spa would be open to the public.
The date to watch is February 2027, the deadline for the developer to secure all permits and financing. After that, the Select Board is expected to sign the lease. Community and Economic Development Director Marzie Galazka has said she expects the hotel to be completed in November 2029. The project drew 16.2% in the poll. Its finish date and the Rail Trail's construction start fall in the same year.
The Glover Site Needs Approval From Two Towns
In October, Swampscott's Planning Board voted unanimously to approve Glover LLC's 140-unit development at the Gen. John Glover farmhouse site near Vinnin Square. The approved plan keeps the farmhouse, with paths connecting it to the new buildings. It caps building height at 50 feet and includes 144 parking spaces and 17 affordable units.
The parcel crosses the town line, with 96 units on the Swampscott side and 44 in Marblehead, so Swampscott's vote doesn't finish the approvals. Marc Liebman, who chairs Marblehead's Planning Board, told the Marblehead Current that the project "does need to come before the Marblehead planning board" and that a complete application had not yet been submitted. Swampscott's approval also came with conditions. The farmhouse entrance must move to the Salem Street intersection, and emergency access must be on Vinnin Street with a right-turn-only exit.
Hawthorne Has Until June 2028 to Decide
The Hawthorne property drew 22.1% in the poll, second only to the Rail Trail, and it is open now because of a temporary lease. The Swampscott Center for the Performing Arts holds that lease through June 2028, and the long-term decisions are due by then. The Hawthorne Re-Use Advisory Committee is taking Plan G1 to the Select Board. That plan calls for two rows of buildings totaling about 25,000 square feet, with a 40-foot opening that keeps the courtyard in view. The Select Board voted 3-2 against housing on the site and has conditionally backed a request for up to $2.5 million in Community Preservation funds to buy part of the St. John's parking lot at 187 Humphrey St.
The Rail Trail Comes Last
The Rail Trail drew more support than any other project in the poll. It has also been the longest in the works. In 2017, Town Meeting voted 210 to 56 to put $850,000 toward building it, and voters later affirmed that decision. The first two segments, from the Marblehead town line to Bradlee Avenue, were built in 2020 and 2021. In 2023, the Friends of the Swampscott Rail Trail presented the town with more than $150,000 raised from residents and businesses. That same year, a 99-year ground lease with National Grid settled the lawsuit over easements on the utility corridor.
The rest of the trail is a state project now. MassDOT's record for project 610666 describes it as being in the preliminary design phase, with no contracts yet. It lists construction as beginning in summer 2029, with an estimated total contract cost of $12,905,746.95. In March, the Swampscott Tides reported that the regional planning organization moved the project to fiscal year 2029 after deciding it was not ready for its earlier slot. Money from the 2017 appropriation remains. Itemlive reported in October that about $324,000 of the roughly $850,000 has been spent, and that the town is using grant funding before it borrows against the rest.
MassDOT's description of the finished trail shows what the wait is for. The paved path would be 10 feet wide and run 2.1 miles, from Stetson Avenue to the Marblehead Rail Trail. It would cross five streets at grade and cross Paradise Road, Route 1A, on a prefabricated pedestrian bridge set on the old railroad abutments. Plans include historical markers about the branch railroad, educational markers at spots such as Muskrat Pond, and signs marking the trail as part of the East Coast Greenway. Bathrooms, trail parking and a public bike repair station would be at the middle school.
Every remaining step of the trail depends on the state's schedule. A table at First Watch depends on one company opening its doors, with a target of late January.
If you own a home near Vinnin Square, Redington Street or the rail corridor and want to know how these dates could affect when you sell, Annie Wachtel can work through the timeline with you. Request a confidential market consultation.
