Sign up to receive Ward and political newsletters by email here.
This week I’m covering just two big topics: Newton Schools and the Life Sciences sector. But first, I have two quick community promos:
Community survey from the City of Newton: Christina Street Rail Bridge Feasibility Study and Conceptual Design – This is a grant-funded project through the MassTrails Program which must be completed by 6/30/21. The project will provide an assessment of reuse or replacement of the Christina Street rail bridge for use as a fully accessible, shared-use bicycle and pedestrian connection between Newton and Needham, which is partnering with the City on the project. Once structural and geometric assessments are completed by our vendor VHB, Inc., design scenarios will be developed for rehabilitating the existing bridge, demolishing the existing bridge and reconstructing in place, and constructing a new bridge in a new alignment. Concept level plans will be developed for the preferred scenario. The project will lay the foundation for discussions about the construction of a fully accessible, shared-use path connection.If you used to use this bridge for pedestrian access and wish to do so again in the future, please watch a brief introductory video to the project and consider filling out a brief survey.
Green Newton Covid-19 Memorial Trees 4C Project: Plant Trees to Honor Those Who Lost Their Lives to Covid-19 in Newton – The Green Newton Youth Leadership Program developed a plan to plant young trees to help our community look ahead to renewed vitality and balance in our lives while remembering the precious lives we lost. Your gift will help us plant trees in public spaces throughout Newton as memorials to loved ones lost and as reminders of the importance of caring for our world. The goals of the 4C Tree Project (Capture Carbon, Commemorate Covid) are to: provide a beautiful living memorial to loved ones lost to Covid-19; remind us of our need to care for our world; capture carbon by planting trees, to help address climate change.
Schools Reopening
Newton Public Schools have been partially open for some time. In response to instructions from the state government, Newton Public Schools will begin nearly full reopening in stages starting this Monday, April 5. As residents might know, the City Council does not have a role in that process, but we did have a discussion about it this week, so I am including a brief overview in this week’s newsletter.
Education policy in Newton is governed by the School Committee and Superintendent, and information about the school reopening plans can be found at their website here. (You can also see the proposed FY22 School Department budget here.)
The elementary schools will reopen for five days a week this Monday, with the high schools opening next on Monday, April 26 for four days a week (no Wednesdays, for scheduling reasons the School Committee explained to us). Middle schools will open last on Wednesday, April 28 for five days a week.
In the classrooms, the physical distancing will be 3 feet apart as reopening continues over the next month. This is also a result of state instructions and is a reduction from Newton’s previous policy of 6 feet spacing in classrooms, which was the largest controlling factor on capacity for in-person learning. Hallways and cafeteria areas (including gyms as extra capacity) will still be spaced for 6 feet.
Families who have been fully remote all year will retain the right to continue the Distance Learning Academy if they choose, and Q&A session was held on March 11 for those who are choosing this option. (Again, please refer to the School Committee and Mayor Fuller for the complete and latest details on the spring education plans – and direct questions or concerns to them, rather than to the City Council, as we do not have jurisdiction over education policy matters beyond the physical facilities.)
A detailed plan and rationale for the reopening from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education can be found on page four of the City Council Programs & Services and Finances Committee Agenda from the joint discussion meeting this week.
A full reopening of all Newton public schools is expected in September for the next school year, subject of course to further pandemic developments.
I remain concerned that the pace of vaccination of teachers has not kept up with the state-mandated timetable for reopening of schools and that youth covid cases are rising in our state (see here and here). I also remain deeply skeptical about the 3 foot distancing policy in classrooms, although a significant amount of investment went into upgrading our classroom ventilation and filtration systems since the start of the pandemic, which might help a bit.
Globally, we still do not fully understand the long-term physical and mental health effects of covid-19 on minors who don’t display the full symptoms of the disease that a larger share of infected adults display.
But at this point, the state is calling the shots, so to speak.
Life Sciences
The Life Sciences sector in Massachusetts continues to grow and many municipalities are trying to get in on the associated revenue. Newton is one of those communities examining the possibilities and opportunities associated with that sector.
On March 29, I joined many of my colleagues on the City Council to attend a webinar by the Newton-Needham Chamber of Commerce to learn more about these possibilities.
According to the panel, a municipality becomes seen as friendly and attractive to the Life Science sector by having a single point of contact with the city, receiving a Gold or Platinum rating from the MassBio Council (we are currently Gold-rated), developing a plan for resolving parking and transportation needs, establishing an expedient approval process for when a landlord and tenant bring forward a proposal, having space to expand from an initial location without needing to move out of the city, and so on. Currently, there are already 16 MassBio members operating in Newton because we’ve already taken some steps to attract these businesses. For example, the City of Newton has a Biosafety Commission in place for regulating and permitting rDNA research.
There are a few things on the City Council’s current or recent docket that have prompted a deeper look at this sector as a potential opportunity for growth.
The biggest item is that there is a request by Mark Development to change their previously approved special permit proposal from last year (but not to change the approved zoning) at the Riverside Green Line station to eliminate the planned hotel and some housing in favor of a Life Sciences facility. Part of the reasoning for the request is because hotel and traditional office space is seen as being on a different trajectory after the pandemic compared to Life Sciences.
According to projections, the total traffic volume from the project would only change slightly, improving at rush hour because the Life Sciences sector tends to have off-peak work hours and commute periods.
Market-rate housing units would be reduced from 582 to 550 because the Life Sciences facility would be larger than the canceled hotel, requiring some of the residential square footage to be removed. There would also be (at least as currently requested) slightly fewer affordable units below 50% and between 50-80% of the area median income than previously approved, but additional middle-income units at 80%-110%, for a total change of affordable housing units from 102 to 110. This change in the composition of affordable housing was taken to comply with a revision to the city’s inclusionary zoning ordinance requirements made after the previous version of the project was filed.
I will carefully evaluate the proposed changes to the project and follow the discussions in the City Council until a final version reaches a vote. Some of the specific details noted above could change through that Council process of negotiations before we vote. For example, I would like us to explore retaining the number of lower-income units previously approved, even if that means going slightly higher than the minimum requirement under city ordinances for including affordable housing in mixed developments.
Secondly, the City Council also recently approved a Life Sciences laboratory and research facility at 275 Grove St, the Riverside Office Park, next to the Riverside station development proposal discussed above. It’s possible that these projects may end up being linked together as a broader Life Sciences campus if the changes previously discussed are approved.
Thirdly, during the City Council meeting on February 16, Newton’s zoning code was updated for Life Science R&D uses. The item (which passed the full Council) was #485-20: Economic Development Commission requesting City Ordinance amendments (based on peer communities) to the Business, Mixed Use & Manufacturing Districts, Research and Development, and Laboratory and Research Facility in order to clarify inconsistencies in the way Research and Development is treated in the use tables and definitions. They requested this on the basis that providing clarity in where Research and Development uses are allowed is necessary to diversify Newton’s Economy, make Newton competitive with surrounding communities in attracting 21st century industries and jobs, and raise Newton’s commercial tax revenue and implement recommendations from the 2019 Newton Strategic Plan.
More info on that reform can be found in the notes from the public hearing during the Zoning and Planning committee.
There are some exciting opportunities from the Life Sciences sector for municipalities like ours. But I’m also keeping my eye on the question of whether our economy is well-rounded. We never want our community to become too heavily dependent on any one area, in case something goes wrong in the sector. That caution should always be in the back of our minds – not only during the unusual circumstances of a pandemic, but also in the historically unusual low-interest financing environment in the US economy as a whole for the past decade-plus. Booms can turn to busts in the blink of an eye, and we need to be balanced to mitigate that risk.