Good morning friends, 

But it could become significantly more challenging if a citizen's petition on next week’s annual Town Meeting warrant is approved.

Article 42 would gut the town's Residential Incentive Overlay (RIO) ordinance, slashing the eligible land area for RIO projects by 97%, from 5,248 to just 134 acres.

Here’s our letter to Town Meeting, in which we argue that eliminating this tool during a housing crisis is irresponsible and shortsighted. The item also received unfavorable reports from both the Planning Board and Advisory Committee.

However, the deceptively named group, Neighbors for Better Planning (do they want better planning or lots of trees?), has been aggressively organizing to collect the two-thirds majority vote needed to prevail.

Auchincloss to join Healey at chamber event this Monday

We’ve invited Congressman Jake Auchincloss to join us at our Government Affairs Forum along with Gov. Maura Healey this coming Monday (March 31) at the Newton Marriott.

Auchincloss will speak first, at about 9 a.m., followed by Healey at 9:30 a.m.

We’ve asked them to each share their perspectives on the challenges facing the business community, our economy and other pressing issues at this moment.

Most importantly, we all want to hear their ideas for moving forward, right?

Email me your questions for the governor and congressman.

And register to be in the room.

Thanks to Northland Investment Corp. and Rodman Employment Law for sponsoring.

New state regs apply to buildings over 20,000 SF

Owners or operators of buildings exceeding 20,000 SF will soon be required to participate in a statewide program that tracks energy usage.

If this program sounds somewhat similar to the BERDO ordinances adopted in Newton (as well as Boston and Cambridge) and under consideration in Watertown, it is. Partly.

However, while those municipal ordinances require reporting and mandate energy reductions, or else face fines, the state’s Large Building Energy Reporting law only calls for collecting usage.

The new law requires electric, gas, and steam utilities to report usage data on behalf of covered buildings. Owners will need to report sources such as oil, propane, wood and on-site renewable energy generation.

If you oversee a building over 20,000 SF check this list to see if your property is covered. You have until April 30 to dispute your inclusion. Those included must submit energy usage data by June 30, with some exemptions.

As for Watertown’s BERDO, city councilors asked city staff this week to make changes to its BERDO draft ordinance after hearing mixed feedback from property owners and advocates, according to Watertown News.

Council President Mark Sideris wants to look at the success metrics, economic development impacts and the burden on staff to monitor the reporting and requirements.

A familiar face returning to Needham

WCVB-TV is turning to a veteran of its newsroom as its new leader.

Andrew Vrees, who was the station’s news director for nearly eight years through 2016, is the Needham-based station’s new president and GM, after holding a similar title at sister station WMUR-TV in New Hampshire.

Vrees succeeds Kyle Grimes who has been promoted to executive VP at parent company Hearst Television.

Channel 5 has about 250 Needham employees, more than half of whom work on news programs, according to the BBJ.

Friday grab bag

• Think you know everything there is to do in Needham? Do you know about this?
  
  
• How about where to eat in Wellesley? The Swellesley Report’s restaurants page features more than 50 options.
  
  
• The Globe had a nice profile the other day of Fulfilled Goods, a refill or zero-waste store where everything is sold in bulk by weight in Newtonville.
  
  
• The Watertown City Council has approved the purchase of a site from the Nordblom Company that had been permitted to be a lab building but never broke ground. (Watertown News)
  
  
• Needham Town Meeting members will be asked in May to consider banning the sale and distribution of utensils, dishes or containers made from black plastic, as well as a Skip the Stuff ordinance, following a pair of 3-2 select board votes this week. (Needham Local)
  
  
• Mount Auburn Cemetery’s Artist-in-Residence 10th Anniversary Celebration — featuring live performances with storytelling, dance, music, and a pop-up gallery— is April 5 and 6. Tickets.
  
  
• Lyndra Therapeutics, a drug developer that had its R&D headquarters on Grove Street in Watertown and had been spun out of the lab of MIT professor/Newton resident Bob Langer is winding down operations. (BBJ)
  
  
• Oops: I credited the wrong Elizabeth as an underwriter to our Small Shops program this week. It was Newton resident Liz Hiser who made a very generous donation to our program.  I also messed up the spelling of Green Urb Gardens.
  
  

Know any high school seniors?

The chamber’s high school senior scholarship deadline is approaching quickly: Thurs.  April 10.

Students who live or attend school in Newton, Needham, Watertown, or Wellesley can apply (this year with a new option to submit a video, instead of an essay) for a chance to be awarded one of four $2,000 scholarships.

Students attending an accredited post-secondary program, trade school, community college, college, or university full-time in the next academic year are eligible.

Needham Bank becomes a Small Shops champion

Tomorrow (March 29) is National Mom and Pop Business Day, a day dedicated to supporting and recognizing small, family-owned businesses and the vital role they play in our communities.

Here at the chamber, so far we’ve signed up about two dozen single-location, mom-and-pop retailers in Newton, Needham, Watertown, and Wellesley for free chamber membership as part of our Small Shops pilot program.

“The fact that [free chamber membership] is being offered is like a nice little bright light in very uncertain times,” Rachel Sciaba, owner of Dear Duchess, a boutique in Newton Centre, tells Fig City News.

“Anything that can help move the needle, any sort of resources that we can get, I would absolutely take. It’s very helpful,” she adds.

Small Shops is underwritten by some of our larger members and individuals, all listed at the bottom of this page.

And earlier this week, we received our largest commitment yet.

Needham Bank (which is already among our most generous annual partners) has stepped forward with $5,000 to champion Small Shops. Their generosity helps us cover our expected lost dues revenue and seed our Support Local marketing efforts and staff time for this initiative. We’re very appreciative.

Learn about underwriting here.

And that’s what you need to know for today (the Red Sox are in first place, 161 games to go!) unless you need to know which cosmic wonder the Hubble Space Telescope saw on your birthday.

Spring Seasonings: A Taste of our Towns, is 11 days away. You’ll be there, correct?

Greg Reibman (he, him)

President & CEO

Charles River Regional Chamber

617.244.1688

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