SWAMPSCOTT — Expressing fatigue and frustration with years of looking at two boarded-up schools still owned by the town, Town Meeting recently approved zoning changes that will allow development plans at both sites to proceed.

Impassioned pleas by some that the town is overdeveloped and in need of open space, rather than more density, did not resonate with the overwhelming majority of voters.

B’nai B’rith Housing of Brighton will redevelop the former Machon School on Burpee Road into 38 one-bedroom apartments for affordable senior housing. It will preserve the original brick structure from 1920 but will tear down the 1963 addition and replace it with a three-story annex with a smaller footprint.

The middle school, which like the Machon closed in 2007, sits at the summit of Greenwood Avenue and has an ocean view. The 1893 building will be demolished to make way for a development of up to 28 units, at least 20 percent of which will be designated affordable. It has not been determined whether the units will be apartments or condominiums.

Swampscott is vulnerable to Chapter 40B — which allows developers flexibility in zoning — because only 3.7 percent of the housing units in town are considered affordable, far below the state-mandated threshold of 10 percent, according to the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance.

In 2012, Groom Construction entered into a purchase-and-sale agreement with the town to build a 41-unit market-rate condominium project on the Greenwood Avenue site. Unhappy with the project, abutters successfully sued the town for zoning violations, winning a 2014 decision in Massachusetts Land Court.

With development halted, Groom Construction then sued the town for breach of contract. As the case languishes in court, selectmen feared that if Groom won the suit, it could build a 40B project and the town would be unable to avoid a potential high-density development.

Naomi Dreeben, chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen, said the board would like to negotiate a settlement, and she hopes Groom “will be interested in responding to our request for proposals for 28 units.’’

Connie Goudreau, who is an abutter to the site, said at Town Meeting that her family has seen the property as “a high school, a middle school, and for the last eight years a dilapidated, crumbling, abandoned building. It’s time to vote in favor of it so the town can begin to dispose of some town-owned property and start seeing tax revenue instead of legal bills.’’

Residents on Burpee Road expressed concerns about a lack of open space, traffic, and heavy density regarding the Machon school redevelopment. But Town Meeting voters approved the proposal from B’nai B’rith Housing to build 38 affordable senior housing units with social and cultural amenities. B’nai B’rith will give the town $500,000 upfront for a 99-year ground lease plus $50,000 for off-site improvements.

People 62½ and older will be eligible to apply for units; 70 percent are anticipated to be reserved for town residents. Construction is scheduled to begin in November 2017 and be completed about a year later. The 36 parking spaces on either side of the building have been increased to 48.

Currently in town, “there are 84 affordable senior units through the Housing Authority,’’ said Peter Kane, Swampscott’s director of community development. “There are an additional 59 affordable units at the Bertram House that are typically occupied by senior residents.’’

Said resident Robert Powell, “Senior housing would provide homes for people who want to stay here and also provide housing for people who will buy their homes. We need more senior affordable housing.’’

Bette Keva can be reached at bettewk@gmail.com.