Greg Reibman, President of the Charles River Regional Chamber, endorses the Newton’s proposed Village Center Zoning Redesign and its Village Center Overlay Districts (VCOD). He says the proposed changes in village center zoning allowing development “by right,” rather than by special permit, will gradually increase the supply of homes for people who cannot currently live here. It will also offer housing for grown children who want to remain in the city as well as for seniors who want to downsize and for the employees of local businesses who are unable to live in Newton because they cannot find affordable options. Rather than replacing small single-family housing with “McMansions and monster houses that are taking over our neighborhoods,” developers will be allowed to build smaller, multi-family housing. He says that allowing “by right” development of multi-story, mixed-use buildings is more likely to offer affordable and lower priced housing because developers will not be forced to spend thousands of dollars on lawyers and endure months of delay that is part of the “special permit” process.
An additional benefit to increased development of multi-family housing — turning single-family houses such as a large Victorian into three-and four-family units, or building on a larger scale — will benefit local businesses as well, Mr. Reibman says. A larger consumer market in walking distance to restaurants and shops will likely provide more customers to businesses, which have suffered in the last three years because of the pandemic and competition from online shopping and meal delivery apps. “So many of our businesses are still struggling,” he says, given the high cost of insurance, utilities, labor, and supplies. Mr. Reibman is convinced there is not a village in Newton that would not benefit from more foot traffic and there are not businesses that would not benefit from having places that would provide housing nearby for their employees.
What about existing small businesses that will be negatively impacted by construction? How will they survive if they are forced to relocate? And how will they afford the high retail rental prices in newly constructed store fronts? At a recent meeting in Nonantum, local residents and small business owners raised those concerns. Nonantum’s commercial district has no empty storefronts, possibly because rents are less expensive and there are a wide range of local restaurants and long-term businesses.
Noting that he is in touch with Chamber members in Nonantum and across Newton, Mr. Reibman agreed that displacement of businesses is absolutely a concern he shares, but he countered that even if the Village Center Zoning proposal were passed tomorrow, “these changes will take decades. There is no way development is going to take place as quickly as it needs to happen.” The VCOD allows for gradual change, he said. At the moment, high interest rates, high construction costs, and a shortage of building trade workers preclude rapid development. Looking ahead, creating housing above retail space will benefit businesses by creating customers for their businesses, housing for potential employees, and opportunities for people who want to remain in Newton.
Mr. Reibman took issue with renderings appearing on the Save Our Villages signs and flyers, which he believes misrepresent the proposed VCOD by showing buildings that are much taller than would be allowed. He believes the illustrations are stoking unnecessary fears. He is also concerned about what happens “if we don’t do something …we are going to lose what we appreciate about Newton.”
The Charles River Regional Chamber includes Newton, Watertown, Wellesley, and Needham and has about 1,000 large and small business and nonprofit members. During Covid, the Chamber was responsible for helping businesses across Newton access tens of thousands in federal and state grants and find everything from plexiglass to Personal Protective Equipment. Funded by a grant secured by State Senator Cynthia Creem, the Chamber also partnered with local restaurants to supply thousands of meals for people at risk for food insecurity. Restaurants and local residents benefitted from the grant, which has just been renewed.
