Good morning, friends,

A tech giant and one of Newton’s favorite sports bars are both headed to Watertown.  

They’re singing Kumbaya in Nonantum. And we still don’t know what’s going to happen to our Salvadoran workers and neighbors.

But first, important news about the $66 million Newtonville commuter rail station.

Commuting chaos averted

The MBTA has reversed its decision to close the Newtonville Commuter Rail Station for nearly two and a half years while its much-needed new station is under construction.

Instead, service will only be suspended for three months beginning in early summer 2027 and about two months in spring 2029, Mayor Marc Laredo announced last night.

That's a huge relief for 400+ commuters who use the station (the most heavily trafficked in the city) daily to go downtown but also to get to jobs in Newton and Watertown.

It’s also a relief to Newtonville merchants who benefit from the foot traffic that comes with so many commuters visiting their shops and restaurants daily.

Our thanks to Mayor Laredo, his Chief of Staff Dana Hanson, Congressman Jake Auchincloss, state Sen. Cindy Creem, state Rep. Amy Sangiolo and an array of city councilors and others for their advocacy.

And, of course, thanks to the Healey-Driscoll administration and the MBTA for finding a better way.

Don't take Salvadoran workers off your payroll yet

Over the summer, the White House was quick to end protected status for hundreds of thousands of Haitians and Syrians who had been working legally in the US for years.

But it’s been unusually silent on Salvadorans, whose temporary protected status (TPS) for that country was due to expire Sept. 9 — and technically still hasn't, since DHS says protections continue until it makes a further announcement.

That includes more than 7,300 Salvadoran TPS holders living in Massachusetts, notes Sarah Betancourt, who has been reliably covering immigration for GBH.

That’s left our Salvadoran neighbors anxiously fearing the worst and employers uncertain whether or when they need to let go of workers they’ve come to depend on.  (Answer: Not yet .)

• The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office has a resource page for immigrants, including TPS recipients. 
• You may also find some help on the state’s Immigration Legal Aid Referral List.  
• The City of Newton has also created an impressive page of immigration-related rights and resources.

Watertown snags tech giant and the best wings around

Tech giant Google has leased space in Watertown, reports Sam Ghilardi at Watertown Bio, who first broke the news.

And when those new Google workers google: "Best chicken wings near me," they'll find them just down the street from their new location.

But first, the Google news:

The company has signed a lease for 35,000 SF at 200 Talcott Ave., part of Alexandria Real Estate's Arsenal on the Charles development, in a space previously occupied by Werewolf Therapeutics.

Exactly what Google has planned remains a mystery. However, approved building plans include a mix of office and life science wet lab spaces, suggesting it will likely remain a research lab rather than a data center, Ghilardi notes.

Ghilardi speculated that Google parent Alphabet owns life-science companies Calico and Verily and that Google's venture arm has invested in several Watertown biotechs.

Alexandria also recently signed three new life sciences tenants at Arsenal on the Charles: Ethyreal Bio, Olema Oncology and X4 Pharmaceuticals, notes the BBJ.

Meanwhile, all those new Google and life science workers – along with the rest of us – will have easy access to some of the best chicken wings around when beloved Newton sports bar, Buff's Pub, opens a second location just outside of Watertown Square.

Buff's is reportedly opening at 46 Arsenal  — currently home to Belle's Charbroiled Burgers & Ice Cream, which rebranded from Wild Willy's Burgers in 2024.

The Newton Corner hangout—named for Buff, the buffalo whose head is mounted just to the right of the bar—is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Friday (yes, it’s long) grab bag

• Ask questions and learn about Question 7: Legalize Starter Homes, at a chamber webinar Weds (Sept. 23), 1 p.m. RSVP.
  
  
• The Town of Wellesley kicked off its Wellesley Square Improvement Project yesterday, but there’s still going to be many opportunities for businesses to be part of the process in the days ahead, starting with completing this business survey.
  
  
• And here’s a helpful guide to parking in Wellesley Square.
  
  
• Boston College has acquired EF Schools' 200 Lake Street campus in Chestnut Hill for $40 million. The 17.62-acre property includes a five-story, 130,640-square-foot building. (BLDUP)
  
  
• Needham Economic Development Director John Sisson and Petrini Corp’s Bob Hentschel discuss some of the obstacles businesses face when opening in town and how they hope to use a $50,000 study obtained by state Rep. Josh Tarsky to help. (Needham Observer)
  
  
• The forecast looks good for Watertown’s Fair on the Square tomorrow (Sat) from noon to 5 p.m.
  
  
• The Healey-Driscoll administration is funding part of the 138-unit Willow Park affordable housing project in Watertown. (Watertown News)
  
  
• The former Citizens Bank building on Harvard Street is being repurposed as a temporary home for a new Brookline Community Center for the Arts. (Brookline.News)
  
  
• The Bra Shop will open at 22 Church St. in Wellesley in November, expanding beyond its Worcester roots. (Swellesely Report)
  
  
• Moments Cafe – offering specialty coffees, like tiramisu lattes, as well as various flavors of matcha and desserts – has opened at 1284 Washington St. in West Newton, the former site of Flora’s Wine Bar. (Newton Beacon)
  
  
• The C and D Green Lines will lose service between North Station/Government Center and Kenmore this weekend (with a second closure Sept. 26–Oct. 4). The Needham Line will also fully shut down this weekend for signal work. Buses will substitute in all cases.
  
  
• The Wellesley Society of Artists hosts "The Nuts and Bolts of Selling Art" at the Wellesley Free Library, Sept. 29, 6:30 p.m., sharing practical advice for artists looking to sell their work. Free.
  
  
• The Second Step is hosting a Coffee & Conversation on Sept. 29 from 8:30-10 a.m.. Location provided upon RSVP.
  
  
• The Boston Chamber partners with MassAbility for "Engaging Untapped Talent: The Power of Disability Inclusion," a virtual conversation on disability-inclusive hiring and building stronger employment pathways, on Oct. 6, 10 a.m. Register.
  
  
• The Private Directors Association hosts "Board Composition and Gender" in Waltham on Sept. 24, 5 p.m., a panel discussion on gender representation on boards presented with 50/50 Women on Boards, The Boston Club, Innovation Women and Bentley University. Register
  
  
• Newton for Everyone hosts a Sept. 24 discussion on how Massachusetts’ housing shortage is contributing to population loss and, in turn, reducing the state’s political power in Washington. BU Professor Maxwell Palmer will explore the connection. RSVP, in person at Congregation Dorshei Tzedek or Zoom.
  
  
• Brookline has committed $4 million from its Affordable Housing Trust to preserve 115 affordable senior apartments at 99 Kent Street for 99 more years, giving WinnCompanies key local support to move the rehab forward. (Brookline.News)
  
  
• The dedication of Setti Warren Plaza, in honor of the late former mayor, is Sunday (Sept. 20), 12:30 p.m. at 28 Austin Street, between Caffe Nero and Starbucks.
  
  
• The Economic Development Bill, currently being negotiated on Beacon Hill, includes three major housing reforms that we support: YIGBY, duplexes by-right, and site plan review. Our friends at CHAPA have created this page to make it easy to contact legislators.

Nonantum finds peace and a PA system with Wood Partners’ housing plan

Crafts Street in Newton straddles the border between the neighborhoods of Nonantum and Newtonville.

And anyone who followed Boylston Properties' slog to permit 295 units of housing at 78 Crafts St. over several years can tell you that abutters in both neighborhoods are not always easy to please.

Yet Wood Partners' attempt to permit 228 units right next door at 38 Crafts St. seems to have won over Nonantum's most vocal skeptics, including Nonantum Neighborhood Association head Terry Sauro and perennial mayoral candidate Al Cecchinelli.

Earlier this month, a dozen Nonantum neighbors praised the developer before the city's Zoning Board of Appeals — a reversal of their previous position.

Their support wasn't centered on welcoming 200-plus new neighbors, or finding homes for their adult kids or potential workers and customers for local businesses.

Rather, it focused on a $200,000-plus mitigation package (Cecchinelli raved about a new sound system for the American Legion 440 hall) and the developer's willingness to listen.

Over in Newtonville, a small contingent of abutters still opposed the project, while ZBA members continued pressing for deeper affordability, something project attorney Stephen Buchbinder called financially impossible.

Wood’s project already includes 25% affordable units to those making 80% of the area median income.

That’s what you need to know for today — James Gandolfini would have been 65 today — unless you need to know that you, too, can be a criminal sketch artist.

There will be no newsletter  Tuesday.

Let us know how we can help.

Greg Reibman (he, him)

President & CEO

Charles River Regional Chamber

617.244.1688

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Max Woolf contributed to today’s newsletter.