Highlights this week:
- City Council voting on a postponed item regarding assisting small businesses
- City Council voting on $31.6 million for the Horace Mann School project
- School Committee conducting a working session, including introductions of new senior staff
- CANCELED: Economic Development Commission hosting guest speaker Dante Capasso of Capasso Realty Corp.
City Council
City Council will meet at Monday and is expected to vote on the following (see Reports Docket):
- Ordinance amendments relative to aiding small businesses impacted by development, incorporating “Fast Food Establishment” use into the “Restaurant” use, allowing for shared “makerspaces” and/or co-working, and defining a “Place of Amusement” use (see Planning Memo)
- Amendments to require that building height by measured from original grade instead of finished grade
- Increase in the salary of the City Clerk/Clerk of the City Council to $138,776 match the percentage increase included in the FY25 budget for H-grade employees
- Drain extension in Edgefield Road to connect to an on-site drainage system
- Sewer extension in Dedham Street to allow for an expansion of the dwelling at 949 Dedham Street
- Appropriate $31,578,632 for the construction of the Horace Mann Project
- Design Review Committee petition for schematic design and site plan approval to construct a new 22,000 SF addition to the Horace Mann School at 225 Nevada Street
- Special Permit/Site Plan Approvals:
- Remove a wall between the two-car garage and workshop to allow for additional garage space exceeding 700 square feet at 102 Gordon Road
- Establish an as-of-right accessory apartment within the carriage house and construct oversized dormers, further extending the nonconforming FAR, at 62 Lenox Street
- Construct a 1,426 square foot, two-story addition that further extends the nonconforming FAR at 29 Trowbridge Avenue
- Construct a full second story on the detached one-car garage, vertically extending nonconforming front setbacks at 224 Adams Avenue
- Remodel the interior and construct an oversized dormer allowing for attic access at 44 Erie Avenue
- Construct a one-story attached two-car garage that will further extend the nonconforming side setback and further reduce the nonconforming open space at 16 Braeland Avenue
- Appointments:
- David Boronkay to the Newton Upper Falls Historic District Commission
- Ed Olhava to the Community Preservation Committee
- Timothy LeBlanc to the Newtonville Historic District Commission
- Nancy Greenberg to the Chestnut Hill Historic District Commission
- Reappointments:
- Joan Belle Isle to the Council on Aging
- Barbara Lischinsky, Lucille Chansky, and Nathan Persampieri to the Commission on Disability
- Jay Snyder to the Citizens Commission on Energy
The New Docket includes the following:
- Special Permits and Site Plan Reviews (Public hearings on August 27)
- Allow oversized dormers and further extend nonconforming FAR at 45 Bishopsgate Road
- Allow three attached single-family dwellings and associated parking waivers at 56 Chapel Street
- Amend Special Permit to alter the nonconforming front setback at 290 Watertown Street
- Amend Special Permit to allow additional parking at 120-126 Norwood Avenue
- Extend nonconforming two-family dwelling use and allow an oversized dormer at 12-14 Stoneleigh Road
- Extension of Time to Exercise Special Permit at 49 Lenox Street
- Proposed Amendments and Discussions
- Parking in village centers
- Aligning zoning to proposed use for by-right and special-permit projects for new buildings or major renovations
- Possible amendments to dormer regulations in Chapter 30 Zoning to clarify dormer length calculations
- Possible amendments to retaining wall regulations for multi-family, commercial, industrial, and civic buildings
- Current status of transitioning to electric school buses
- Safety on Dudley Road regarding speeding, accidents, and safety of pedestrians and bikers
- Appointments
- Ed Olhava to the Community Preservation Committee
- Timothy LeBlanc to the Newtonville Historic District Commission
- Nancy Greenberg to the Chestnut Hill Historic District Commission
- Nathan Persampieri to the Commission on Disability
- Reappointments
- John Synnott to the Newton Commonwealth Foundation
- John Neville to the Newton Commonwealth Foundation and Parks and Recreation Commission
- John Rice to the Parks and Recreation Commission
- Patrick Costello to the Farm Commission
- Jeffrey Silton as a Constable
- Funding Requests and Authorizations
- Appropriate $25,000 for continuing education and training of inspectors
- Appropriate $7,416.12 for the full and final settlement of A.M. (a minor) v. City of Newton
- Accept and expend $302,922 for support of 911 Dispatch operations
- Accept and expend $93,376 for Drinking Water Lead Service Line Replacement Planning
- Accept and expend $60,000 from the Municipal Road Safety Grant
- Appropriate $105,253 for an LED Lighting Project at Newton South High School
- Transfer $215,000 from Trio mitigation funds for the purchase and installation of new traffic signal equipment at the Lowell Avenue/Washington Street intersection
- Authorize borrowing of $4,403,000 in a ten-year, interest-free loan for design and construction of Sewer CIP Project 10
- Authorize borrowing of $1,957,300 in a ten-year, interest-free loan from the MWRA Phase 4 water loan program
Finance will meet on Monday to vote on:
- $31,578,632 for the construction of the Horace Mann Project
- Salary increase for City Clerk/Clerk of the City Council
Programs and Services will meet on Wednesday to consider:
- Amendments to the Tree Protection Ordinance
- Clarifying the investigatory powers and authority of the Human Rights Commission
- Renaming the Department of Senior Services
- CPA funding for Spears Park Community Garden
Schools
School Committee will meet on Monday in a working session on:
- School Committee advice/guidance for 1-year bridge goals
- School Committee meeting routines
- Suggestions for strategic planning team/committee
- Summary of principal retreat/state of union summaries
- Reports/Introductions from Assistant Superintendents and Director of Communications and Family
Engagement - Panorama survey — School Committee input
- Calendar of meetings
- Student services overview
Boards and Commissions
Newton Free Library Board of Trustees Nominating and Governance Committee will meet on Tuesday to discuss officer nominations; policy inventory; draft policies for Behavioral, Food & Beverage, Sales & Solicitation, and Noise.
Auburndale Historic District Commission will meet on Tuesday to discuss a Certificate of Appropriateness to replace existing brick paver area connecting driveway to back porch — and a working session on a proposed rear addition — at 360 Central Street.
CANCELED: Economic Development Commission will meet on Tuesday for the following:
- Guest speaker: Dante Capasso, principal of Capasso Realty Corp., which owns and operates office, multifamily, flex/industrial, and retail properties in Newton and Waltham
- Discussion of the proposed Newton Cultural District
Urban Design Commission will meet on Tuesday to consider:
- Sign Permits:
- Design Review: 49 Dalby Street
- Sign Ordinance and Policy Changes
Design Review Committee will meet with the Franklin School Building Committee and the Horace Mann School Building Committee for progress reviews focused on interior design: Concept/color inspiration, shared spaces renderings, and material precedents.
Newton Commonwealth Foundation, which operates the municipal golf course, will hold a special meeting on Wednesday to vote to:
- Accept bid from Weed & Feed for $379,032 for the Bunker Renovation Project
- Make payment to RDA architectural firm for $64,000 to proceed with drawings for Phase I of the Maintenance Building Renovation Project
Chestnut Hill Historic District Commission will meet on Thursday to consider Requests for a Certificates of Appropriateness to:
- Install shutter moldings and hardware at 17 Old England Road
- Replace a fence at 59 Reservoir Avenue
- Get feedback on projects to replace and modify windows, install solar panels, a balustrade, and back staircase at 61 Gate House Road
- Get feedback on project to convert the existing garage to an accessory unit at 61 Gate House Road
- (Working Session) Get feedback on a project change to the front entry, paint color palette, hardscaping, garage doors, and lighting at 24 Lee Road
Urban Tree Commission will meet on Friday for an update from the Forestry Department and to consider tree-removal requests.
Other
The Development Review Team has no meetings scheduled for this week.
This week’s road construction schedule.