The City and the Harmony Foundation will hold the City’s Martin Luther King Day Celebration this morning at 9:30AM, in-person Newton North High School and also live-streamed. Registration is required.
In addition, there will be a collection at NNHS to conclude the week-long food drive. Requested items include non-expired:
• Cereal (kid-friendly and name brands preferred)
• Hearty Canned Soup (meat, beans, veggies)
• White Tuna in Water
• Ground Coffee
• Shampoo, Deodorant, Toothpaste
• Mac & Cheese
• Cereal / Granola Bars
• Baby Wipes
In the Full City Council meeting tonight (Zoom link), the Council is set to vote on (see Reports Docket):
- An item chartered by Ward 3 Councilor Julia Malakie regarding the sale of a city-owned parcel of land known as 181-183 Jackson Road
- A 6-unit development proposal on Jackson Road above an existing parking structure (345 Boylston Street)
- Three requests to use FY2022 Free Cash:
- $3,240,000 for the Newton South High School Field synthetic turf and track resurfacing project
- $258,524.10 for the purchase of four (4) Hybrid Ford Police Interceptor Cruisers, and
- $150,000 for the purpose of purchasing the replacement of a 1998 trackless sidewalk clearing tractor;
- An increase in the mattress recycling fees.
The City Council’s New Docket includes:
- Request for a Special Permit to replace the operator to Community Care Collective, Inc. at 131 Rumford Avenue
- Request for a discussion with the Sustainability Team and Planning Department about the new MA Building Energy Code, effective January 2023, and to understand the specifics of the optional “Specialized Code”
- Request to set the early voting dates/times.location for the special Override election on March 14, all at Newton City Hall:
- Friday, March 3: 8:30AM – 5PM
- Saturday, March 4: 8:30AM – 5PM
- Sunday, March 5: 11AM – 5PM
- Monday, March 6: 8:30AM – 5PM
- Tuesday, March 7: 8:30AM – 5PM
- Two polling relocation requests:
- Ward 2, Precinct 3: Move from Newton Senior Center to Cabot Elementary School
- Ward 3, Precinct 2: Move from Pierce Elementary School to Temple Shalom
- Request for grant of locations to install and maintain gas mains requested by National Grid:
- Elliot St, Boylston Street, Circuit Ave, Josselyn Pl, Frances St, Charles St, and Margaret Rd
- Request for a discussion regarding delinquent property tax policy and procedure
- Request to amend city ordinances to make on‐street dining permanent
All three “P” Committees will meet this week:
- Public Facilities Committee will hold two public hearings on requests for grants of location to install and maintain gas mains:
- Paulson Road, Ferncroft Road, Evelyn, Helene Road, and Cotter Road
- Elliot St, Boylston St, Circuit Ave, Josselyn Pl, Frances St, Charles St, and Margaret Rd
- Programs and Services will take up the Election items: Setting the date and time of the special Override election and the polling relocation requests for the Ward 2 Precinct 3 and Ward 3 Precinct 2, and will discuss the creation of a strategic and operational plan for capital improvements with the Parks, Recreation, and Culture Department.
- Public Safety and Transportation will receive an annual report from the Chair of the Traffic Council, continue its regular discussions with the Police Department with a focus on traffic, crash data, street safety, traffic calming measures already implemented, and the removal of them for winter and snow operations, and will discuss amending the city ordinances to make on-street dining permanent.
Traffic Council will also meet this week. Discussion items include:
- Possible expansion of parking restrictions on Greenwood between Brandeis Road and Dudley
- Possible prohibition of u-turns on Watertown Street, in both directions, between Edinboro Street and Albemarle Road
- Possible rescission of a portion of the existing regulatory speed limit (35 mph) on Washington Street and Tremont Street between Newton Corner and the Boston City Line to 25 mph.
- Review and potential change to the mix of long-term and short-term metered parking spaces along Washington Street in the vicinity of Harvard Street.
Council Reports: This week, the City Council issued reports for these meetings:
- Finance and Public Facilities Committee – 1/03/2023
- Public Facilities – 1/4/2023
- Programs and Services – 1/4/2023
- Zoning and Planning – 1/9/2023
- Finance Committee – 1/9/2023
- Land Use Committee – 1/10/2023
Board and Commission Meetings: First, two quick notes:
- There will be two opportunities to hear/watch a presentation on the 528 Boylston Street – 40B project. The petitioner is scheduled to present at the Newton Housing Partnership meeting and the Conservation Commission meeting. An older presentation was reported here.
- Also, note beavers appear to be causing flooding issues for residents at 210 Nahanton. The Conservation Commission will be reviewing a Beaver Summary (prepared by Conservation Planner Jennifer Steel) of the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, Department of Environmental Protection’s Beaver Guidance at its meeting this week.
Here are all the board and commission meetings. See the Weekly Calendar below for dates, times, Zoom links, and documents for these meetings. Or click the links below for full details:
- Countryside School Building Committee: Review and approval with a vote expected on the preliminary design program submittal.
- Board of License Commissioners: Three one-day wine and malt and entertainment licenses for Friday night figure drawing for the New Art Center, a request for a new common victualler license for Jersey Mike’s Subs on Needham Street, and a new common victualler and annual entertainment license OddFellows Ice Cream Company are among the items to be discussed at the Board of License Commission Meeting on Tuesday.
- Newton Housing Partnership: The Partnership will hear a presentation on 528 Boylston Street / Toll Brothers 40B Project, hold a discussion about the inclusionary zoning section of the Elder Housing with Services zoning ordinance, NHP commentary for January 2023 ZAP meetings, and receive updates on the different Housing Partnership initiatives at its meeting on Tuesday evening.
- Board of Assessors: The Assessors will meet on Wednesday morning and review and approve December 2022 exemption and abatement reports.
- Chestnut Hil Historic District Commission: The Commission will hear five requests for a Certificate of Appropriateness on Thursday.
- Conservation Commission: Solar installation at Wells Avenue, a single-family house demolition for a two-family replacement on Parsons Street, proposed pond treatments at the Charles River Country Club, presentation of the Toll Brothers 528 Boylston Street – 40B project, a single-family demolition for with a single-family replacement on Grace Road and a beaver issue for the Nahanton condos are some of the items on the Conservation Commission’s agenda this week.
- Newton Upper Falls Area Council: In addition to updates on Northland, Elliot Street Safety, and La Nuestra, the Council has allocated 80 minutes for updates from Councilor Crossley on Village Center Zoning.
- Planning and Development Board: The vote on the Rezone 2 parcels (11 Florence Street/318 Boylston Street) to BU4 has been postponed until the February 6 Planning Board meeting. The Board will hear a presentation on the HOME – ARPA Allocation Plan and discuss the Consolidated Annual Plan Timeline, and Village Center Zoning.
The Parks, Recreation, and Culture Department released this response to questions raised at the Programs and Services and Finance Committee meetings regarding the $3,240,000 proposal for Newton South Athletic Fields turf replacement and track resurfacing project.
This week’s road construction schedule can be found here.