The Newton Corner Neighborhood Association will discuss proposed new signage at the Newton Corner Rotary (Exit 17) and West Newton Square (Exit 16) at its next meeting. This discussion follows a city engineer’s presentation on the proposed signage improvements.

The meeting’s agenda will also include discussion of potential improvements along the MBTA’s 57 bus route, which is part of its Key Routes program. Key Routes have higher frequency and longer spans of service than local routes. (More background on Key Routes.)

The neighborhood association will meet in the old Newton Corner Library, 126 Vernon Street. For more information, please contact David Koses, 617.796.1133, dkoses@newtonma.gov.

While ongoing political and citizen efforts to make Newton pedestrians safer this winter chart an uncertain course, as reported in the Newton Tab, we share good news.

In response to the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) formed by Mayor Setti Warren this summer, the mayor last month issued his response to the committee’s final recommendations.

Better yet, small groups of TAC volunteers continue working on solutions to parking, traffic, and pedestrian safety and connectivity. One group is discussing “urban fabric,” the physical form of the city which shapes how we occupy and move around in the city.
[Read more →]

A futurist view?

File this under “wishful thinking,” but… [Read more →]

Interested in traffic solutions, transportation modes, and what makes an enjoyable street or square? Consider attending a presentation by Ben Hamilton-Baillie tomorrow night in Boston’s Downtown Crossing.

Architect and urban designer Hamilton-Baillie will talk about “shared streets” and how to reconcile traffic movement with good urban design.  Organizers of the event say his “work is creative, his expression is whimsical, and his practice is forward thinking.”

The event is sponsored by the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance together with MAPC’s MetroFuture initiative.

Attendance is free but space is limited. Get more information, directions, and register.

Garden City Preservation Society (GCPS) has launched a website to provide information on the volunteer group’s efforts to restore the area surrounding the Newton Centre T Station.

GCPS has had a busy year so far, starting with a NewtonSERVES project in April to clean up the grounds and prepare the soil for planting. Since then, the group launched a Dahlia bulb fundraising drive and a held flea market in May to raise $1,500. In June, Weston Nurseries installed foundation plants, volunteers removed dead and diseased trees, and the MBTA provided mulch for the planting areas.

Those interested in this helping with this volunteer project may want to attend the group’s pot luck dinner at 6:30pm on Thursday, July 22nd. It will be hosted by Ward 6 Alderman-at-Large Vicki Danberg at 30 Chase Street in Newton Centre. Contact For more information, contact GCPS.

On Tuesday night, Newton-based New England Development presented its proposal for redeveloping the site on Route 9 where the closed Omni Foods and other vacant buildings stand.

The proposed site plan, with a one-story building bordering Route 9 (at top) and additional retail and medical office space at center, two surface lots, a parking garage (bottom left), and a residential building at left. Click to enlarge.

The Chestnut Hill Square development, if completed as planned, would add 105,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, 60,000 square feet of medical office space, a 50,000 square foot grocery store, and a 30,000-square-foot health club. The complex would also include 90 residential units (condos or apartments), which could be built at the same time or as a second phase. Approximately 900 parking spaces in two surface lots and a 4-level parking garage would serve the complex. [Read more →]