On Thursday, September 14, members of the Nonantum community and others met at the Ciociaro Social Club with City representatives about the proposed Village Center Overlay Districts. The meeting was arranged by At-Large City Councilor Alison Leary and Ward Councilor Maria Scabeli Greenberg. The panel also included other City representatives — City Council President Susan Albright, City Councilor and Chair of Zoning and Planning Deb Crossley, and Director of Economic Development John Sisson — and Charles River Regional Chamber President Greg Reibman, who is not an employee of the City.
While the purpose of the meeting was to discuss Newton’s Village Center Zoning Reform with members of Nonantum’s business community, many local residents and people from other parts of Newton – including City Councilors John Oliver, Tarik Lucas, Pam Wright, Alicia Bowman, and Julia Malakie — were among the 60-70 attendees. Some of the contentious crowd could not find seating and stood in the doorway watching and commenting on the proceedings.
On Monday, September 11, the City Council Zoning and Planning Committee took a straw vote approving Version 3.0 of the proposed Village Center Overlay District Zoning Map. On it, Nonantum’s village center is zoned for 3.5 story development on the south side of Watertown Street and up to six stories on the North side from Nevada Street to just before Adams Street. Ward 1 Councilor At-Large John Oliver voted against this new version, calling it “punitive.”
Councilor Crossley, Chair of the City Council’s Zoning and Planning Committee, appeared as a replacement for the Planning Department’s Deputy Director, Jennifer Caira, who was unable to join the discussion. As people arrived, they were greeted by protesters with “Save Our Villages” and other signs opposing the proposed zoning regulations. Protesters handed out flyers asking business owners if they were notified “that the City of Newton is having a meeting to discuss their proposed Rezoning for the Nonantum village center?” A protester gave out a two-sided listing of all the local development proposed and built since 2000. John Sisson distributed “Creating Vibrant Village Centers” flyers.
At the start of the program, Councilor Crossley explained that the Zoning Reform initiative was designed to encourage construction of multi-unit residential development by eliminating or seriously curtailing the special permitting process that has had a “chilling effect on business.” At the same time, most village centers do not have the degree of on-street walking, stores, and customers that Nonantum enjoys,” she said.
When Chamber President Greg Reibman rose to speak, Terry Sauro, President of the Nonantum Neighborhood Association, reminded him and the audience that he once said Nonantum was in the sewer. Amid “boos,” Mr. Reibman responded that he thinks his comment was taking out of context and said he had written a letter of apology for any misunderstanding or hurt his comment created. When asked about the number of Nonantum businesses that are members of the Chamber, he responded that he did not know. In his remarks, he acknowledged that these were scary times and he told the audience. “I don’t think you understand the proposal,” which drew angry responses from the crowd. Later in the discussion, he noted that the city has lost business because of changes in the economy, which Mrs. Sauro dismissed because “Nonantum doesn’t have a problem with businesses” and Nonantum had no empty storefronts among the one-and-two story buildings lining Watertown Street.
Telling the audience, “I never met a special permit I liked,” John Sisson explained that most of Nonantum is zoned for 3.5 story buildings because “we want to make it easier for smaller developments and you want more people to be able to walk to stores.” A retired business owner asked where existing businesses are going to go during construction, adding, “Is this based on a survey?” He said the construction process would drive out businesses that could not relocate or survive the two or three years required for new development.
Many attendees angrily expressed concerns about the rising cost of housing driving out residents because they could not afford local rents. Many residents and business owners complained about the lack of parking and the increase in traffic. Nonantum resident and business owner Elizabeth Metraux asked how rezoning was going to help businesses in Nonantum. Fran Yerardi, a former president of the Chamber of Commerce and principal in Bay State Properties on Adams Street, told Susan Albright and the other panelists, “We should have been involved from the beginning, not at the end.” Mr. Reibman responded, “We’re talking to businesses now.” Benny Arpino, a co-owner of Trillennium Services on Adams Street, angrily complained,”You talk down to us as if we were stupid little people.”
Another longtime Newton resident commented, “We are in a tidal wave of construction in our village” where tear-downs are being replaced by apartments. “Why aren’t my representatives representing me?” she asked. Danielle Marzilli, who owns property on Adams Street, told the panel, “This is the epitome of gentrification,” where wealthier people move in, improve housing and attract new businesses, thereby displacing the original inhabitants.
Former Newton Alderman Peter Harrington, a longtime Newtonville resident, described Nonantum as Newton’s gateway neighborhood for new Americans, whose children and grandchildren continue to live there. He said that many of them are firefighters, teachers, and police – and they are afraid they will be gentrified out of the area. “They don’t want what you want,” he told the panel. To which Mr. Arpino responded, “This is where our grandparents came, and we don’t want to destroy it.” Responding to the many people who expressed concerns that construction would force them to close or relocate their businesses because they could never afford rents in new buildings, President Albright said that 28 Austin Street did not harm local businesses.
The exchange between City Councilors and the audience was often confrontational, with both sides shouting at and insulting one another. Mr. Yerardi asked Councilor Greenberg why the neighborhood needed the rezoning, to which she responded, “I totally get it. I don’t want my neighborhood to get worse.” Having grown up in Springfield, the child of Italian immigrants, Councilor Greenberg said she understands the residents’ issues. She gets emails from constituents who cannot find an affordable place to live in Nonantum. She noted that any development of seven units must provide at least one affordable unit, and that is why she is supporting the proposed zoning. “That’s where I’m coming from,” she explained.
Mr. Reibman said, “I understand the concern and fear. You’re afraid of losing your business. He concluded,”We can’t talk to each other when people are so angry.” Susan Albright added, ‘I’d like to meet again in a more civil way.”
Postscript: Aftermath
In a follow-up conversation, Fran Yerardi said, “Before the straw vote [at the September 11 Zoning and Planning meeting], there should have been a meeting [with the people in Nonantum] asking about what we need,” noting that the Chamber of Commerce has not talked to Nonantum business owners. “Our villages make Newton unique and special,” he said, asking why existing businesses should be sacrificed for new businesses.
Antoine’s Bakery has been a Nonantum staple since 1954, and Newton resident Frances Khachadourian is the second-generation owner of the successful business. Although she did not attend the Thursday meeting, she received notices from Councilors Leary and Greenberg as well as the Nonantum Neighborhood Association. While she owns the one-story building that houses the bakery, as well as the building across the street that is home to Steamers, Ms. Khachadourian explained that business owners are worried that developers will combine and build big apartments and rent to franchises, making it too expensive for local businesses. “How much is too much?” she asked. She does not oppose some development, but she does not want development to “drive out all workforce, moderate income people as it did in Newtonville.”
Similarly, Arthur Magni, who is the second-generation owner of Magni Funeral Home on Watertown Street, does not object to moderate development. Unlike Frances Khachadourian, Mr. Magni did not receive a meeting notice from either Ward 1 City Council member; the NNA notified him. He did attend the meeting which he felt “wasn’t managed well.” “I wouldn’t be sad to see some development from Nevada to Adams Street [along Watertown Street]” he said, but he is concerned about parking, noting that Nonantum is one of the most densely populated areas of the city. Mr. Magni suggested the model should be three-to-four stories with residential units on the second, third, or fourth floor and commercial space on the first floor. Bicycling and walking, he observed, are necessarily limited in winter.
Commenting on Thursday’s meeting, Zoning and Planning Committee Chair Deb Crossley said, “When people are yelling, it’s hard to understand what they are saying.” Times are going to change, she believes, and there are no perfect solutions…but this is the time to plan. “This is not about demolishing a village and replacing it,” she explained, adding that the North side of Newton might be less expensive but no place in the city is inexpensive. She echoed Councilor Greenberg’s point that “if we build more than six units, [we] will have more inclusionary [below market rate] units. There is an ocean of need.” When asked if she thinks there will be another meeting, as suggested by the Council President, she responded, “We’re talking about a focus group meeting.”
Councilor Alison Leary, who organized Thursday’s meeting with Councilor Greenberg, explained that “Maria was motivated because she cares deeply about the neighborhood.” The goal was to get businesses more involved in the rezoning process, but she acknowledged that there were unhappy people there who came to protest. In rethinking her decision to support a VC3 designation for part of Watertown Street, Councilor Leary said she could be persuaded to vote for VC2 in that portion of the village that is outside of the Nonantum’s square. “Fear of businesses going out is a valid concern,” she said, but she noted zoning redesign is looking at gradual change – possibly sixty or seventy years in the making. Asked if she were inclined to participate in another meeting, she demurred, saying she would reach out to businesses and be at the ZAP public hearing on September 26th.
Ward 1 Councilor Maria Scibeli Greenberg, who has lived in Nonantum for twenty-five years, said she was motivated to organize the meeting because “I knew some of the businesses in the area had concerns about zoning. I wanted them to hear Greg Reibman, John Sisson, and Deb Crossley. But, it was not what I expected. I was shocked and surprised and hugely disappointed. Why didn’t they ask questions and listen to answers?” Although she was somewhat shaken by the confrontation, Councilor Greenberg is not dismissing the idea of other options for bringing business owners together to discuss the zoning plans.
While he was not a participant in the organization and presentation of the Nonantum meeting, Ward 1’s other At-Large City Council member, John Oliver, was present at the Ciociaro Social Club. He suggested that President Albright and Councilor Leary are incentivizing big development to buy existing buildings and build bigger buildings. The resulting commercial space will be too expensive for local business owners. “We are incentivizing the displacement of existing businesses,” he said. Of his colleagues he thought, “They are not listening or acknowledging that there is another side to this. Let’s figure out the least painful way to get this done. They act as if they don’t have to compromise because they have the votes,” he concluded.
Ed. Note: We revised this article to state that Greg Reibman is not a City employee and to more fully describe his remarks at the meeting.