Category — All villages

As you may know, MassDOT is working to widen I-95 to include four travel lanes from Route 24 to Route 9. The design work will likely be completed in fall 2012, with construction to begin in 2013 and completed in 2016. The proposed 127 million dollar project will widen 3.3 miles of I-95 including the three interchanges (Kendrick Street, Highland Street and Route 9).

The Public Safety & Transportation Committee of the Board of Aldermen will hear a report from the City’s Director of Transportation, Clint Schuckel, on Wednesday, February 8, in Room 202 of City Hall. The public is invited to ask questions about the project and its expected impacts.

Folks in Newton have been concerned about the proliferation of banks in our village centers for some time now.  Alderman Vicki Danberg, for one, has been leading an effort to change zoning to make it harder for banks to take space in our villages.  The city’s Economic Development Commission is considering a moratorium on banks in the first floor of village center buildings.

Why the resistance to more banks?

A fellow village lover in Beacon Hill tells the story very clearly in a recent blog post. Here’s an excerpt:

They’re out to destroy retail districts. The banks don’t see this as their aim, but this is the result if they infest our neighborhoods with their blank windows…. But these new banks may not want customers…. Real estate broker Ivy A. Turner, however, set the audience straight on why banks want to come. She said they don’t care so much about market share. They want a retail branch that acts as a billboard for their national expansion goals.

Go here to read the full article.

The invitation comes from the Mayor and his Director of Community Relations, Sarah Ecker, but now it’s coming from us, too.  We’ll be at this Village Summit. Come join us at the Village Summit!  It’s at Newton North High School, 1:00-4:00 PM, on Sunday, December 4th.

Here are the details:
Join Mayor Setti Warren and your neighbors for a conversation about improving the quality of life in Newton’s thirteen villages. [Read more →]

UPDATE:  The music/art activities are centered at the Newton Senior Center, at the corner of Walnut and Highland, and also at the New Art Center, at 61 Washington Park.  No doubt we all would’ve found them anyway….

Newtonville is getting its very own village day!

Check this out, straight from the Mayor’s office:

Newtonville celebrates Autumn and Halloween with free music, art, entertainment, face painting and tasty treats for kids and adults.  Watch windows being painted as part of the annual Halloween Window Painting Contest.  Visit Newtonville stores on Walnut Street and Washington Street for treats and special discounts.  Collect 13 Spooky Stamps to be entered into free raffle for items donated by Newtonville businesses.  Some of the many items generously donated:  gift basket from Starbucks, makeup palette from Co Bella Salon, pizza from Newtonville Pizza and gift certificates from the New Art Center, Great Harvest, Newtonville Books, and many more. Come catch the Spirit of Newtonville and have a spooktacular time!

I love the hustle and imagination the folks at L’Aroma Café are showing here.  We got the word because we’re on their mailing list, but we’re assuming they don’t mind if we let other folks know about an opportunity for the kids to get dressed up one day early….

The League of Women Voters, along with a number of co-sponsors, including Newton Villages, is bringing us an evening of deep insight on what works for transportation in Newton and what we can do to improve it. We owe LWVN a debt of gratitude for bringing this forum together.

It will include some of the biggest names in transportation planning and thinking in Greater Boston. If you’re wondering about what’s next for pedestrian connectivity, bike lanes, transit, and traffic management, you need to be at this forum.  It’s in the Druker Auditorium at the Newton Free Library on Tuesday, November 29th, at 7 pm.

The full flyer is here.