An area between the Charles River and I-95 adjacent to Highland Ave has been zoned for a medical marijuana clinic by Needham, Wicked Local Needham reports.
Needham approves medical marijuana zoning along Newton border
by Village 14 | May 19, 2015 | Newton | 14 comments
Government at every level continues to demonstrate disdain for medical patients and for voters. When the government deliberately and methodically obstructs the expressed will of the voters, we no longer have a democracy. The medical marijuana law passed two and a half years ago, and despite desperate need there’s not a single dispensary open in the state. A lot of the problem has been incompetence, but much of the delay has been calculated and deliberate.
“An area between the Charles River and I95 adjacent to Highland Avenue has been zoned for ________?????” (fill in the blank)
1. An adult bookstore.
2. A shooting range (aimed at Newton’s Ward 8).
3. A biological weapons repository.
4. A Republican Convention.
5. A medical marijuana clinic.
It seems that whatever Needham doesn’t want, it sends across Route 128 to bother Newton.
But we make up for it by sending them all the jobs in the N2 Corridor in companies where the workers are looking for the amenities that are actually on our side of the river.
I’m glad to see that Mr. Striar is beginning to recognize that the problems with state Marijuanna licensing is at the state level.
Sorry. Last sentence should read “are at the state level.” Does the College Board rescind eight hundreds on English composition for errors on local blogs?
That’s not entirely fair, Sallee. Newton is sending some of its most successful businesses to that strip of Needham between I-95 and the Charles River, too.
Yes, Ted. and the traffic impacts of their industrialization and urbanization is entirely on Newton’s side, away from the peaceful, residential areas of their Town. I can’t fault them. If Newton had 128 going through our City, and there were a swath of Newton land between the Charles and the highway, I would be advocating to put new growth (mandated or not) there.
There is even a psychological cost. The river on Needham Street is very narrow and does not (despite some small signage) feel like a border between Needham and Newton, while 128 does seem to serve that dividing line. So Newton feels the impacts while Needham collects the taxes!
Sallee, for the record RT 128 does run through Newton, and there is a swath of Newton land between the Charles River and the highway. It is called Newton Lower Falls. I am not sure the residents of NLF would agree with your recommendation for the placement of new growth.
Patrick: Seems like NLF got that growth already…it’s called Riverside. (But that was before I had any local political awareness of how things worked around here).
Sallee, maybe you should spend a little time looking at the map of Newton. Newton Lower Falls is next to the Charles River on the opposite side of I-95 from Riverside Station.
Great point Ted. Maybe an excellent location for a Republican convention, adult bookstore or one of Sallee’s other ideas!
I did look at the map, Ted. Since the swath of land in Lower Falls was already taken by single family houses, it’s clear that the Jordan Marsh Riverside opportunity couldn’t be resisted at that junction of Grove and 128. I hope no one is proposing demolishing all the houses in Lower Falls. But what if the Leo J. Martin Golf Course were sold as surplus and developed into the 800 units of housing Newton would need to build to meet 40B’s 10% standard? I bet we would hear from Wellesley!
Actually, Sallee, Needham’s Board of Selectmen and administration worked with the developers to purposefully create commercial and office projects and residential development that would all be in close proximity with one another, putting housing within walking distance of workplaces and amenities thereby reducing reliance on cars. That should actually reduce the traffic impact on Needham and Newton of doing commercial development. I have to hand it to Needham for being so proactive about development. What say you, Greg?
I say that the municipal leadership in Needham has done a great job rezoning their commercial areas before a company/developer comes in so there’s no mystery about what can or can’t be done, and no months-long special permit battles and “compromises” that no one really likes.
I’d also say that they’ve fully embraced the need for workforce housing, something I wish more of Aldermen Hess-Mahan’s esteemed colleagues embraced.
And I’d venture that very few Wellesley-ites use or even would want to be seen at Leo J. Martin Golf Course…but that’s a different story.
Greg could very well be correct about Wellesley people avoiding the Leo J. Martin Golf Course since about 2/3 of the LJMGC is in Weston with the remainder being in Newton.