October 23, 2024 By Carol Britton Meyer
There were more than 740 respondents to a recent survey conducted by the Harbor Development Committee about potential uses for the 30 Summer St. waterfront property purchased by the town in November 2023.
HDC Chair Marco Boer presented the results to the select board Tuesday night and explained the reason the town purchased the property in the first place with Town Meeting approval. “The original intent was to gain some control over the waterfront, with less than six percent publicly accessible. The rest is privately owned.”
The results indicate that 35 percent of the respondents support maritime-related activities; 21 percent, Hingham Rec classes; 19 percent razing the former real-estate building on the property to create public park space; 5 percent harbormaster offices on the property; and the remainder, other uses.
The survey was posted on the town website and also shared through other channels.
‘The results will guide our recommendations’
“The responses are not binding, but the results will guide our recommendations to the select board as we move forward,” Boer said.
The $1.25-million property includes a 1,400-square-foot building located on a 0.2-acre lot that can accommodate approximately five parking spaces. There is no access to the waterfront from the property at this time.
Thirty-nine percent of respondents would like to see a restaurant on the property, while others prefer a marina, retail, art gallery, office, or bank/ATM use. About 30 percent support maritime programs such as those offered by Hingham Maritime Center.
“The desire for water-related activities/use of 30 Summer Street is clear,” Boer said. “There is strong interest in a waterfront restaurant despite limited space and parking.”
One question related to the potential leasing of the property to a private user and which private uses, if any, would best serve the Hingham community.
Sixty-two percent said they would support such a lease to a business or nonprofit/civic organization if such use could recover the town’s annual debt service or more. The remaining 38 percent did not support such a use.
When asked whether they would support the town selling the property to a private buyer if the sale resulted in a net profit for the town, 36 percent were strongly opposed, 14 percent were in strong support, 14 percent in support, 17 percent opposed, and 19 percent neutral.
Wide-ranging ideas for proposed uses
Others ideas among the dozens shared on the survey include a cafe or beer garden; a facility that rents kayaks, paddleboards, and other water sports equipment; a park with a safe place to launch kayaks or other small boats; a playground; a spray pad for children; additional access to the water; municipal office space; and Hingham Maritime using the property/an expansion of HMC.
Other suggested uses include an aquaculture education center/oyster shop; arts center; basketball courts, volleyball, and putting; bike/walking paths; a bookstore; new town pool; concerts in the bandstand/food truck events; function space for weddings; seasonal pop-up shops in shipping containers; creation of a waterfront destination; raw bar; and an urgent care and walk-in clinic.
When it was noted that some non-residents also participated in the survey, select board member Liz Klein responded, “We want people to come to Hingham!”
Boer explained “what’s next,” noting that the building on the property is functionally deficient and non-compliant for official town use but could be leased to a non-government entity.
“We can’t have the building empty for three or more years until the [long-term] vision is executed,” he said. “We don’t want a repeat of the community bathing beach house lease challenges. We need to think creatively about short-term options and to have a single entity be fully responsible for the operations of the building.”
The select board agreed that time is of the essence in pursuing this short-term solution while coming up with a long-term plan for the property.
Overall goal is developing long-term vision
The overall goal is to develop a long-term vision connected to respondents’ desires for marine-related activities and to work with the town’s planning departments to develop a permittable new building and a related budget, according to Boer.
In the meantime, the short-term goal is to sign an up to three-year lease agreement with a non-profit for $1 a year, with 50/50 profit sharing from paid programming at 30 Summer St. The lessee would be responsible for non-capital maintenance and the operating costs associated with the building.
After further consideration and discussions, the HDC will ultimately make a recommendation to the select board on how to best use the property in alignment with broader planning goals for the harbor area.
“This is a great start,” select board member William Ramsey said, praising the HDC’s leadership in “everything [Hingham] Harbor.”
Tony Giorgio, who owns the marina next door, agreed that something needs to be done with the building soon and offered his support. “We need to get this thing going. I’m here!” he said.
Pie Chart Results From Survey Below:
