| Newton MA News and Politics BlogAshley Studley brings a must-read wrap-up of some of Newton’s choicest development battles. (Not sure I would have gone with the provocative headline that dominates the front page.)

But, there’s a huge hole in the segment about Stop-and-Shop on Needham Street: the defeat of the Stop-and-Shop proposal did not mean, as Deb Crossley suggests, that Needham Street, which can use a grocery store, is forever destined to be grocery-store-less. It was the defeat of a single project that would have had a too-big store attended by a not-so-thoughtful expansion of Needham Street capacity. There is no reason to think that a more modestly sized store* couldn’t be built on Needham Street. The four-corners Whole Foods is 50K sq. ft., compared to the 80K sq. ft. proposed Stop-and-Shop. Trader Joe’s in West Newton is around 15K sq. ft. The trend is toward smaller grocery stores.

The best proof that Needham Street might one day get a grocery store? Post-Stop-and-Shop, Needham Street got a grocery store: Baza. Okay, it’s technically on Tower Street.

*What do you call a smaller Stop-and-Shop? Pause-and-Purchase.

Stole the picture from the TAB.