NewCAL takes center stage this week with its appearance at two City Council committees — Programs and Services and Public Facilities. The Programs and Services Committee will take up at its meeting on Wednesday (see agenda) this request submitted by the Mayor to acquire, by purchase or by friendly eminent domain, a two-family home located at 47 Walnut Place. According to the request, the City has been in discussions with the owner since 2020. The Germani family has lived in the home for 52 years and the “terms of this acquisition are structured as a life estate which means Giosina Germani will remain in her home for the rest of her life.”
This would not be the first time the City has acquired property (existing housing stock) by purchase or friendly eminent domain for City projects. The City purchased three single-family homes on Beacon Street for the Zervas Elementary School parking lot and a single-family at 23 Parkview Avenue in Newtonville for the Cabot Elementary School project (reported here too).
The current request states that the acquisition will use $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. The City was awarded approximately $63 million in ARPA funding and has allocated approximately $32,488,174 of those funds for projects throughout the City (see ARPA funding Initiatives and Investments), including $500,000 to fund the NewCAL design.
Neighbors for a Better Newtonville (NBN) filed suit against the City of Newton and the Newton Historical Commission against the decision to move forward with NewCAL — the new senior center (see project website hosted by NV5) — at its current location and a failure to protect the current, historic building and city parkland in front of the building (see this Press Release). However, NBN recently released this Press Release stating that they “applaud” Mayor Fuller’s decision to acquire the property and called “on the Mayor to ‘consider redesigning the new Senior Center so that the parkland in front of the Senior Center is preserved,” adding “If a redesigned Senior Center is not feasible, perhaps it is time to recognize that this parcel is just too small for the Senior Center that Newton deserves.”
An email exchange between Ward 7 Councilor Marc Laredo and Building Commissioner Josh Morse indicated that the acquisition would not change “plans for the siting, size, or design of the NewCAL project.” According to Commissioner Morse, “As I discussed with the community last night, provided we receive the support of the City Council on the acquisition, we will immediately begin working with the community to determine the best use of this additional land once it becomes available. I shared the following list of potential uses for the additional land.
- As much as twice the onsite green space from what exists today
- Creation of a cohesive community gathering space
- Net increase in onsite parking potential
- Net reduction in heat island effect
- Increased tree plantings and landscaping
- Increased passive recreation
- Net reduction in impervious surface and improved stormwater resiliency
- Increased opportunity for outdoor programs for older adults
- Opportunities for expanded pollinator gardens”
In addition, at its meeting on July 13, the Public Facilities Committee will hold a public hearing and discuss the 5-58 Schematic Design and Site Plan Approval for the NewCAL project as well as the request to appropriate $19.5 million for the project. (See agenda pp. 14-16 and project costs as of 5/22 here).