Posts from — November 2010

It’s never a happy thing to report that a local candy store may be closing, especially as we enter the season when “visions of sugar-plums” dance in children’s heads.

The storefront at 1263 Washington Street, if it does not stay a candy shop, might be a good spot for a wine & beer shop or convenience store. The village center has lost both services in recent years.

Granted, the village may not need another restaurant. West Newton stays a popular destination for dining out, with:

• 3 pubs (Cherry Tree, Paddy’s, The Local),
• 2 pizza places (Sweet Tomatoes, West Newton Pizza & Grill),
• Italian (Comella’s),
• Ice Cream & Sandwiches (Coney Island Ice Cream & Cafe),
• Fine dining (Lumiere)
• Chinese (Shing Yee)
• Thai (Mango),
• Barbeque (Blue Ribbon BBQ), and, of course,
• Doughnuts (Dunkin’ Donuts). This is New England.

Apologies if I missed any, but I need to go find something to eat.

The eight aldermen on Newton’s Land Use committee tonight voted unanimously to support the expansion of Bill’s Pizzeria. As reported earlier, the Newton Centre restaurant would need a parking waiver to increase its seating. The full Board of Aldermen may vote as early as Dec. 6 whether to grant the restaurant the 24 additional seats it’s requesting.

The city’s planning department invites merchants and residents to a community conversation about envisioning the future of Needham Street.

A group of MIT graduate students in the school’s planning program have been working this fall on recommendations about how Needham Street may be improved through future redevelopment.

The group presented its preliminary findings at a well-attended public meeting on Oct. 28. See details from our earlier post.

Open to the public, the final presentation will be given on Thursday, December 2, in the Aldermanic Chamber at City Hall. Stop by Room 209 at 6:30pm to see poster displays (and enjoy some refreshments).

The students’ ideas and recommendations — and feedback from merchants and residents — provide valuable direction for the future of the Needham Street corridor. A final report of this project will be published later in December.

All are welcome to join the conversation! If you have questions, contact Amanda Stout in the Department of Planning and Development, 617-796-1127, astout@newtonma.gov.

In meetings on Monday and Wednesday earlier this week, Newton aldermen and staff from several city departments grappled with updating snow removal ordinance, as reported in the
Newton Tab and Newton Patch.

Their study of the issue has been methodical and the conversation inclusive. The process, if sometimes tedious, has illuminated the city’s desire for greater pedestrian mobility and safety in winter months and has raised specific questions about how the ordinance would be implemented, especially with regard to Newton’s senior citizens.

Kudos to city staff and aldermen wrestling with the details – and to the more than 50 residents attending Wednesday night’s public hearing to offer their opinions. The work continues.
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In a post yesterday, “livable communities” blogger Steve Miller suggested a healthy environment requires three things:

1. Smart Growth,
2. Active Transportation, and
3. Human-Scale Architecture.

This year, we’ve written about smart growth, some definitions of it, and how its principles might apply in the context of Newton. At the same time, a Mixed Use Task Force, created by Newton Mayor Setti Warren, worked to clarify the vision of the 2007 Newton Comprehensive Plan as it relates to large commercial/residential developments. These conversations should continue.

Also this year, the mayor founded a Transportation Advisory Committee , including Newton Villages co-founder Matt Cuddy, to help shape our transportation system, “enhance the quality of life in Newton’s neighborhoods and village centers,” involve a broad base of citizens in the conversation, and develop a long-term framework for policy and implementation. Good stuff.

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In this age of 3-D films and TiVo, it may be easy to overlook the good old-fashioned performance spaces in our village centers. But, perhaps this holiday season, we can take time to enjoy them.

Newton Villages welcomes efforts of the Newton Cultural Alliance (NCA) to create collaborations between the city’s arts organizations and our local merchants.

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