On Monday, March 25, the Finance Committee will discuss the possibility of the City soliciting “proposals from outside special counsel to ensure compliance and enforcement of applicable permits at the Turtle Lane site in Auburndale.”
The Turtle Lane Development at 283 Melrose Street has been beset with problems from the start: back taxes owed, neighborhood complaints, COVID delays, and, this January, a Stop-Work Order from the Newton Inspectional Services Department because of “significant concerns about the structural integrity of the Residential Building and the overall safety of the site. Significant work was performed without building permits and in violation of multiple City of Newton Stop Work Orders.”
The Turtle Lane Theater in Auburndale closed in 2013. A year later, developer Stephen Vona purchased the property and proposed a mixed-use building with 35 housing units, a 50-seat restaurant, and the restored historic theater. In 2016, the scope of the project was reduced to 20 housing units, office space, and the historic theater. By 2022, the scope was further reduced to 16 housing units, office space, and the historic theater.
In January 2023, the City’s Inspectional Services Commissioner issued a memo outlining the history of delays in the project (see Fig City News article). The Turtle Lane Development is currently a quiet construction site, with no apparent progress since October 2021.
