Good morning,

Max Woolf here,

In today’s Charles River Regional Chamber newsletter, we’re bringing you two updates apiece from Watertown and Wellesley, plus the No. 1 way to generate more foot traffic in Newton.

To sue or not to sue, that is the question in Wellesley

Get your popcorn ready for May 11.

That is when a Special Wellesley Town Meeting will be asked whether they wish to collaborate or sue to stop the state from building 180 units of Housing on MassBay’s Community College’s parking lot.

The non-binding question was approved 3-2 by the Select Board this week  

The state has confirmed in writing its intention to secure a permanent conservation restriction on nearly 40 acres of forest in exchange for allowing multi-family housing on the parking lot.

The non-binding question should clarify whether opponents who have organized under a 'Save MassBay Forest' banner really meant it, or if that was a strategy to stop the housing.  

“What I have heard over the past year is that the town's priority is to preserve the forest,” Select Board Chair Marjorie Freiman said this week, and said this language will ask the town, “Did you really mean it?”

The Swellesley Report has more.

Parking or housing? Why not both in Watertown Square?    

Watertown City Manager George Proakis is proposing redeveloping the parking lot behind the Watertown Square CVS to include a new parking garage (see the arrow on the map above), 200-300 units of market-rate housing (upper-right corner), and a new public park or plaza in the area.

He has yet to convince everyone.

In a statement last week, Housing For All Watertown (HAW), the city's leading housing advocacy group, came out against the plan. 

HAW argues the square doesn't need more parking and that the city-owned land should be used for affordable housing instead. The group is calling for either a 100% affordable housing development in place of the garage or for housing to be placed above it.

We appreciate the sentiment, but don't believe a garage is a waste of space.

Restaurant owners and retailers consistently cite parking as essential to their success. When customers know they can always find a spot, they're more likely to show up. If we want Watertown Square to become both a walkable and a regional destination, more parking will be necessary in order to attract more businesses.

That said, HAW's idea to put housing above the garage is worth a closer look. Current zoning allows only five to six stories. A taller building that adds affordable homes seems worth exploring.

Nothing here is final. The city is still in the early stages and will be seeking public feedback before any plan goes to the City Council for approval. 

Watertown biotech moves across the street to expand

Arsenal Yards is getting a new life sciences tenant. 

ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) is moving across the street from its current location at 480 Arsenal St. into Boylston Properties' Arsenal Yards campus, reports Hannah Baratham-Green of the BBJ 

ALS TDI, the world’s largest nonprofit biotech focused exclusively on ALS research, is expanding as part of the move, adding roughly 17,000 SF compared to its current footprint.

“ALS TDI has been part of the Watertown life science community for years, and it's meaningful to see them choose to stay and grow here at Arsenal Yards,” Boylston Properties President Mark Deschenes told the BBJ.

ALS TDI is expected to complete the move into its new space by the end of 2026.

Wellesley weighs Lower Falls’ future

Wellesley is moving forward with an area plan for the Lower Falls neighborhood.

The Planning Board met last week to discuss launching a study to rethink the village’s commercial core.

Lower Falls has the bones for a vibrant village center. However, right now, it's defined by aging office parks and fragmented parking lots that aren't living up to their potential. With the right vision, it could become a more walkable neighborhood with mixed-use development that supports small businesses and drives foot traffic.

That vision will also have to contend with real challenges. The area is plagued by cut-through traffic from a nearby highway, an issue Planning Board member Ed Chazen flagged early as central to any serious plan.

But the timing is right. Haynes Properties, the dominant landowner, has begun selling off parts of its portfolio, with developers already showing real interest.

An area plan gives the town a chance to set expectations before proposals start rolling in. Done well, this could breathe new life into Lower Falls, creating a stronger village center and new opportunities for local businesses and housing.

Wellesley leaders would do well to look to Watertown’s Square Area Plan as a model for how to engage the public — and, just as importantly, how to follow through on it. Too often, community vision sessions don’t carry into action. Wellesley’s Housing Plan process is a prime example. There was broad agreement on the need for more housing diversity at community sessions run by the Barrett Planning Group in 2024, but consensus faded once real projects were on the table.

On the other hand, participants left Watertown’s process feeling heard, with a clear vision for growth that helped untangle their traffic problems and set the conditions for real investment to follow. Wellesley could get there, but it will require a level of sustained engagement that has been hard to muster.

Still, this study is a step in the right direction for Lower Falls. We’re eager to see it progress.

Friday Grab Bag

• If you are a developer, architect, engineer, attorney, or work in any role with firsthand knowledge of the housing permitting process in Massachusetts, Boston Indicators and re: Main need your help! They're asking practitioners to fill out a survey on the challenges and issues you encounter in the permitting process.
  
  
• The 128 Business Council will discuss the future of the I-95 corridor at their "Playbook 2030: A Shared Agenda for a Thriving Corridor” event on May 14, 10 a.m. at The Quarry Auditorium in Weston. Charles River Regional Chamber
  President Greg Reibman will moderate a star-studded panel. Register.
  
  
• While it already feels like forever ago, the Chamber’s Annual Spring Seasonings event was only two weeks ago. Read and watch Fig City, The Beacon and Newton News’ coverage of the event
  
  
• As part of her new Economic Development bill, Gov. Maura Healey hopes to make by-right housing truly by-right. One provision of the bill would codify site plan review standards to prevent local boards from unduly blocking or hindering much-needed housing. Banker & Tradesman
  
  
• Spark Newton, formerly Newton Community Pride, has named Leandra Sharron as its new executive director. Sharron previously served as the director of operations at the Boston Book Festival. Former director Blair Sullivan stepped down to join the JCC of Greater Boston.
• Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley is launching a new theatre troupe, the TBE Players, with performances of "Fiddler on the Roof" on April 30, May 2, and May 3. Tickets. (Swellesley Report)
  
• Read Dana Gerber of the Globe’s profile on the long-awaited return of a Bookstore to Needham. “The Book Shop of Needham” officially opens on Feb 7 at 283 Chestnut St.
  
  
• Plans are moving forward for an eight-unit townhouse development at 10 Railroad St., just off Linden Street near the Wellesley Square commuter rail station. This would be Wellelsey’s second project under their MBTA Communities zoning. (Swellesley Report)
  
  
• Last chance! Early bird member pricing for our May 15 Spring Business Breakfast expires today. This is your last chance to see the keynote speaker, and founder of Monster.com, Jeff Taylor, and a panel of nonprofit leaders talking about the safety net at a discounted rate.

Newton's Foot Traffic Problem

The Laredo administration’s new economic development team is taking on one of the biggest challenges facing Newton’s village centers: foot traffic.

In a newsletter this week, the team outlined how they have been meeting with business owners and stakeholders across the city, listening to concerns and developing strategies tailored to each neighborhood's strengths. They’re also making sure city departments like Planning, Arts & Culture, Parks & Rec, and DPW are working to make village centers into lively gathering spots.

In West Newton, for example, they're leaning into the neighborhood's dense concentration of arts and culture businesses – think galleries, dance studios, specialty retail – to brand it as a destination that draws residents and visitors in to stay longer.

We commend the administration for its quick work and genuine vision. Our businesses need this and haven’t always had this focus.

However, we urge the mayor to keep in mind that adding housing in and around commercial centers remains the most proven and permanent strategy for driving year-round foot traffic.  

Subscribe to the city’s economic development newsletter here.

Well deserved (and not just because he’s my boss)

Charles River Regional Chamber President Greg Reibman will have the honor of receiving one of two Community Leadership Awards at the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action’s (JALSA) Annual Meeting on Tuesday, June 23rd.

JALSA praised Reibman’s particular focus on “advocating for the construction of new housing and a humane immigration policy that benefits our economy.” JALSA itself is also spearheading excellent advocacy in the housing and justice space.

Eneida Roman of the Latino American advocacy group “We are ALX” will also receive the award.

That’s what you need to know for today, unless you need to know who is Newton’s unsung hero of the Boston Marathon.

Max Woolf (he, him)

Public Policy and Government Affairs Manager

Charles River Regional Chamber

617-431-6101

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