Not in my (future) back yard

Greg Reibman

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Our thanks to the Newton City Council for approving a measure last night to make outdoor dining in public spaces permanent. Also thanks to the Fuller administration for spearheading the long process.

Of course, there may never have been a less controversial zoning change in history, with nearly 2,000 people signing a petition in support.

Still, without this approval, Newton's outdoor dining season would not have been able to resume on April 1 when state provisions expire.

For our restaurants having this in place allows operators to plan and invest in platforms and furnishings, knowing they can amortize the cost over than one year. It also means staffing and spring menu planning can begin in earnest.

Next, we should allow restaurants to offer outdoor dining year-round (rather than the current April to November) something that’s easy to imagine with all the record-warm days we’ve seen in both January and February.

And we still need Beacon Hill lawmakers to extend outdoor dining and cocktails to go statewide.

Wellesley neighbors worried about housing project that could be decades away

Wellesley Town Meeting is slated to consider two items that have the potential to eventually add more multifamily housing.

Article 41 would allow up to 250 additional multi-family housing units to be built as a 40R in the Wellesley Office Park site, instead of a hotel as the zoning currently allows. The item would bring the total number of units that could be developed by John Hancock as part of The Nines along the Charles River to 850.

A more controversial item, Article 42, would create a residential incentive overlay district on the Sisters of Charity property at 125 Oakland St.

The amendment would allow multifamily housing (340 unit maximum), mixed-use including up to 10,000 SF of retail space, assisted/independent senior living (maximum of 150 units), and nursing home/skilled nursing (maximum of 250 beds).

The development would not likely happen for years since the plan would keep the senior care retirement facilities operating through the Sisters’ lifetime, according to the Swellesley Report.

That could be another three decades or more. Even then any proposed development would require the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, and other approvals.

Changing the zoning now would give the Sisters (average age 85) an opportunity to control their destiny and finances by possibly striking up a deal now for a buyer to eventually build housing in accordance with town housing goals.

(The presentation at the beginning of this video has a good explanation about the rezoning and the fascinating history of the Sisters.)

Still, there's opposition from a neighborhood group which -- you guessed it -- worries the proposed zoning has the potential to significantly "alter the character, density, and traffic patterns.”

The group has submitted a petition signed by 200 residents asking for the article to be withdrawn.

Small-scale solar making a dent on demand

All those solar arrays on business and residential rooftops are paying off.

On some days, when the weather conditions are right, the demand on the regional power system is lower in the middle of the day – traditionally the highest use time -- than it is in the middle of the night, Mara Hoplamazian at New Hampshire Public Radio.

ISO-New England saw more of those days in 2022 than in the prior 45 years combined.

In 2021, New England had about 4,800 megawatts of solar. By 2031, that’s expected to more than double to 11,500 megawatts.

Watertown plans would guide future growth

The City of Watertown has just released a draft of its updated Comprehensive Plan

The plan is designed to provide a road map for making decisions about land use, economic development, transportation, circulation, and parking, with an emphasis on Watertown Square and other commercial districts.

Also just released is a draft Open Space and Recreation Plan.

The city will present highlights of both plans at a March 9 open house.

And the chamber will host a virtual presentation of the Comprehensive Plan on March 22, 2023, 9 -10:00 a.m. (RSVP HERE)

The revised draft plans will be presented to the planning board and city council this spring.

Other need to knows

We’re sad to report the passing of Aaron Krug, former proprietor of Three Squares Craft Kitchen & Cocktails in Needham Heights. He was 51.

Needham state Rep. Denise Garlick is the new House Chair of the Joint Committee on Education. The opportunity opened after Rep. Alice Peisch of Wellesley jumped into the top levels of leadership last week as assistant majority leader after more than a decade as ed chair.

A new bakery Pon de Joy, which specializes in Mocha donuts (a fusion pastry crossing traditional American doughnuts and Japanese mochi) has opened at 212 Sumner St. in Newton Centre. (Fig City News)

Outside of the Employee Retention Credit, virtually all remaining COVID-19 relief options for businesses have been exhausted at this point. But the Business Journal’s Andy Medici has a look at some private sector programs that might help your small business.

A sobering investigative report by GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting found labor traffickers taking advantage of the Massachusetts' housing crisis. Alleged victims, mainly undocumented immigrants including in some MetroWest communities, were provided substandard housing by employers and a pittance of what they should have been paid for their labor. (GBH)

How the state needs to step up for supportive MBTA communities

Good for Newton City Councilor Deb Crossley for reaching out to Alan Wirzbicki of the Globe’s Opinion Staff to remind him that there are many people inside the municipal government who are working hard to create more housing and comply with the MBTA Communities Law.

“We are working really hard in Newton to solve this puzzle, as much for our own sake as for the sake of complying with the state law,” Crossley said in Wirzbicki's Are We There Yet? newsletter.

The new law requires Newton to zone for an additional 8,330 housing units (note that’s “zone,” not "build.") As chair of the council's zoning committee Crossley is leading that effort with persistence and remarkable patience.

But Crossley notes that she’s like to see the state play a collaborative role by improving public transportation, in particular rebuilding the inadequate Auburndale, West Newton, and Newtonville commuter rail stations.

Read the rest here.

The Marathon won't be the same

Spencer, the golden retriever known for his presence along the Boston Marathon route, has reached his finish line following his third battle with cancer, WCVB reports.

Is your company ready for a four-day work week?

I don't know about you, but I enjoyed this past three-day weekend only up until yesterday when there were five days' worth of tasks waiting to be completed in four days

But what about a permanent four-day workweek work for your business?

A six-month study in the U.K., conducted with help from a Boston College researcher, suggests it just might be good for you and your employees.

Sixty-one British businesses ranging from banks to fast-food restaurants to marketing agencies gave their 2,900 workers a paid day off a week to see whether they could get just as much done while working less, but more effectively, reports Vanessa Fuhrmans at the Wall Street Journal.

More than 90% said they would continue testing the shorter week. Eighteen companies planned to make it permanent.

“At the beginning, this was about pandemic burnout for a lot of employers. Now it’s more of a retention and recruitment issue for many of them,” Juliet Schor, a sociology professor at BC, who helped conduct the study.

One key ingredient to success? Fewer meetings.

Thirty-nine percent of employees said they were less stressed than before the pilot program started. About half reported no change. Nearly half observed improvement in mental health, and 37% noted an improvement in physical health.

Have you, or your company, tried this? Let me know.

That’s your Need to Knows for today – Supermarket Employee Day -- unless you need to know why you should never have got rid of your original iPhone.

Be back Friday.

Greg Reibman (he, him)

President

Charles River Regional Chamber

617.244.1688

P.S. This newsletter is only possible because of the financial support from our members. If you find our communications and advocacy helpful or interesting or helpful, please join them today.

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