The advocacy group Newton Villages, which calls itself “A City-wide Coalition to Improve our Village Centers,” was formed in 2009 but has been inactive for a while.
But perhaps in response to all the recent development developments — as well as the recently formed citizens’ group Newton Villages Alliance (which says its about “Preserving the Character and Scale of the Garden City”) — Newton Villages has just relaunched its website.
And unlike the mysterious NVA, this group isn’t shy about divulging who is on its steering committee or perhaps that it enjoys beer and watching Channel 4.
When the steering committee is Rob Gifford, John Sisson, Chris Steele and other enthusiastic supporters of Setti Warren and his agenda of more burdensome taxes, more wasteful spending, more reckless borrowing and more high density 40B projects that privatize profits for developers & socializing costs to taxpayers, its not like they have to worry about the Newton Political Establishment harassing them, or shunning them for their political views.
So are they advocating for more 40B projects or more taxes or both? Of course those 40B projects would only be ones projected for the North side of the city.
Joanne, you can count on the principals of Newton Villages to support more high-density 40B projects to push up school enrollment and in a few years, you can count on them to endorse another override package due to growing enrollment.
And of course, those projects would only be ones projected for the North side of the city.
Thanks for the post, @Greg.
Not sure where the concept of “advocating for more 40B projects” comes from. Instead, the group was formed to provide a means to proactively discuss the village centers throughout the city, the pressures they face, and what it takes to keep them successful, economically viable, and places that people visit and use.
The group recognizes that the centers themselves have evolved over many decades (centuries in some cases) and will need to continue to do so to remain successful centers of our community. It’s better to participate in and plan for that change rather than have it just happen without addressing it at all.
Chris Steele — Many of the village centers have not evolved at all — they just froze in time and became less attractive. Aside from the basics of Newton encouraging smart development, can the City be more direct in improving private shops like providing attractive loans for facade improvements, etc?
@Hoss – It can, and it has. Part of the City’s CDBG funds last year went to facade improvements in Nonantum. Still think there’s more the City can do on that front through direct engagement with the landlords as well.
Well, that’s encouraging. I had no idea that type of grant would benefit a community like Newton.
I gotta say, Chris, using CDBG funds that are intended to benefit low to moderate income families to landlords who own multiple commercial properties make cosmetic improvements does not seem like a good thing to me. The city should have used some other more appropriate funding source.
to *help* landlords
Great group!
I like the mission of the Newton Villages group as outlined on the website. Where the website says “grassroots” doesn’t feel right though. The true grassroots of us have made a point about what local gov’t is going wrong. The mission seems to be in a line with current Administration. The group may surely feel that something needs correction at a grass roots level, I need to hear that.
@Chris
As someone who has participated as a voting member of the Newton Corner Advisory Committee since 2009, I can tell you that (1) finding places to spend the CDBG neighborhood funding is quite a challenge, and (2) when we do come up with recommendations on the spending it is ever challenging to get the City Departments to participate in our recommendations. We have had to shelve some recommended traffic calming proposals and repeatedly ask to complete other projects.
I am very happy that the City was able to successfully utilize CDBG funds for the Nonantum facade improvements. We are confident the unanimous recommendation by the Newton Corner Advisory Committee to re-allocate unspent CDBG funds to the upcoming Farlow Park Historic restoration project will pass through to the Board of Aldermen with no opposition from Newton’s Planning and Development Board. This is a 10 year in-the-making proposed project and know there is the available CDBG funding available to re-allocate to this project. (Re-allocation of funds is being requested as a result of canceled or unaddressed project or actual spending ‘under-runs’ on completed projects.) To see some of the successful Newton Corner CDBG projects, visit http://www.newtoncorner.org. To see what the Friends of Farlow Park are doing in Newton Corner, go to the CPA portion of the City’s website or the Friends of Farlow Park website.
@Josh and Joanne: Not sure how you divide our city, but don’t students in Auburndale (where there are two proposed 40B projects) feed into Newton South? And I think it’s beyond dispute that 135 Wells Ave is on our south side.
More importantly, your comments are divisive. With the exception of Austin Street, I don’t believe any of these project locations were ‘chosen’ by the city (or to use Josh’s divisive term) Newton’s Political Establishment. They were selected by developers based on where they found opportunities. And this situation only exists because Newton is below the 10 percent affordable household threshold.
In fact, shouldn’t you instead be blaming the “Establishment” for failing to get us to 10 percent?
@Greg — the two elementary schools in Auburndale, Burr and Williams, feed into North and South, respectively. According to the current districts, both Rowe St. and Turtle Lane are both within the Burr district, feeding North.
Thanks for the correction Allison.
(That was just for your information, not a show of support the divisive North vs. South comments.)
Actually Greg – They both feed into Day and Newton North. Actually the comment was not meant to be Divisive – but Factual. All the 40B projects that I know of are on the North Side of the City.
Avalon Communities, Arborpoint at Woodland, and Pelham House are some of the 40Bs in the South and Center of Newton.
Greg, when I was a kid, Williams Elementary School children went to Day and Newton North.
Would you rather I use Geoff Epstein’s terms (Political Insider Group, or Insider Political Group)?
Developers see opportunities to bulldoze their way through Newton because they have a Mayor who is an enthusiastic promoter of the 40B law and rolls out the red carpet for them.
I blame the Democrat-controlled Massachusetts legislature for passing the 40B law in 1969.
I blame Mayor Warren for being an avid supporter of the 40B law in 2009
I blame you and Gail for editorializing in favor of Setti Warren for Mayor in 2009 instead of Bill Heck, who did not and does not support 40B
I blame you and Gail for editorializing against the initiative to repeal the 40B law in 2010
I blame the 1.2 Million voters who voted NO on Question 2 in 2010 for falling for the dishonest propaganda of the real estate lobby
Oh Josh. It must be so hard being the Smartest Person in Newton. How can you stand it?
Well Greg, after a while, I got used to it.
Go Josh! Go Josh!
Yes, great, funny answer from Josh. Touche. At least I hope he was joking!
You may have thought you were joking, but behind every joke is some truth.
You certainly were not expecting my laconic answer, nor Newton Gal to stick up for me.
Josh- I Googled you because I wanted to find your email address so I could give you some important information and I came across your Linkedin profile. I see that you are an exceptionally well educated person and that you have a business background as do I. You and I both understand micro and macro economics and economies of scale because we learned about it in our advanced studies in some of the best business schools that this country has to offer. You have to forgive the glaring ignorance of some of the readers on this blog because they do possess the reasoning skills and business acumen that you do. They also cannot fathom the content contained within your highly intelligent comments so as a defensive mechanism they try and ridicule you into silence. Please don’t take their silly comments personally.
correction to above post..they DO NOT possess…..
I also would like to pick up on something I read in this blog that the city might be using taxpayer funds to give to millionaire and billionaire (yes there are billionaire landlords owning real estate in Newton…I know them well) landlords in Newton so they can fix up their store fronts? Is that really true? I think that the Newton tax assessor’s office should be re-evaluating what a lot of the commercial buildings are assessed for because they are grossly undervalued and should be brought up to market rates. I know of a building in a commercial district in Newton that sold not too long ago for around $3.5 million and it was only assessed for around $1 million. That is a gross undervaluement and it also is a lot of foregon revenues to the city coffers.
Thank you very much Newton Gal.
You’re welcome Josh. Keep your posts coming!!! Does anyone on here have any comment on why a building on Lincoln Street sold for $3.4 million not too long ago for cash yet the prior owners had only been paying real estate taxes based on a $1 million evaluation? Seems like a lot of lost revenues if you ask me? How often does the city re-evaluate the commercial property assessments?
I think that the commercial real estate landlords in Newton should have to disclose what they are collecting in rents on their commercial properties in order for their taxes to be assessed fairly and equitably. When you have a block of stores in a prime village such as Newton Highlands or Newton Centre that is only assessed by the City for $1 million or slightly more which is the case with the majority of the commercial buildings in the villages of Newton and those landlords are collecting rents of upwards of $50,000 per month for those buildings you don’t have to be a genius to figure out that it is a pretty great deal for the landlords and they shouldn’t be getting subsidies from the city.
I’m curious on that one as well. @Ted, any thoughts? I know the method for valuation, but any guess as to why this valuation may have been out of whack? (@Newton Gal, might be helpful to reveal the specific building)
…and by that, I don’t necessarily mean broadcast it here, but get word to @Greg so that someone can do a little research. Does sound odd.
The short answer – as specified by MA DOR appraisal guidelines – is that valuations should be reassessed every year, and a comprehensive review to be done every three years. Such valuations are to be done on a replacement cost, income, and a market comparable approach. What I wonder is whether we have not had a large enough sample size in the past few years of such transactions to be able to affectively revalue? Can anyone shed some light on this?
The building is the one that houses 51 Lincoln Street through to where Brookline Bank was and prior to being sold to The Hamilton Company a few years ago it was owned by the same family for over 60 years.
The Hamilton Company is owned by Harold Brown and he also owns every single commercial building on the opposite side of Lincoln Street from 6 Lincoln Street which houses Indalo down to Bread and Chocolate. His company owns almost all of the commercial space in Newton Highlands. Is the city going to be giving subsidies to his company to freshen up his storefronts?
The last time I checked the total evaluation of all of The Hamilton Company’s buildings on Lincoln Street was tiny in comparison to the rents being collected and in comparison to the square footage charged on residential real estate assessments. You have to realize that all of the buildings on the side of Lincoln Street that house One Stop Dry Cleaners and Davis Salon and Walnut Foods and Bread and Chocolate have vast numbers of apartments and offices above them that are paying rents of upwards of $1400 a month for an outdated tiny 500 square foot apartment that has no fire sprinkler system and no handicap access. They also charge rents on all of the parking spaces in the parking lot behind the building as well
No, the City can’t give CDBG money to landlords in Newton Highlands. The funds can only be used in census blocks that are deemed distressed. In Newton, only parts of Nonantum and Newtonville hit the thresholds.
@Chris – West Newton north of the Pike has a CDBG neighborhood as well.
Thanks for answering my question Chris. I wish that the city would make some of the billionaire landlords such as The Hamilton Company bring their decrepit buildings up to current building code standards. Maybe if they did it would bring more trade to those business districts. Have you ever looked behind the building where One Stop Dry Cleaners is located when there is no foliage there? The back of the building is covered in grafitti and the windows are all broken and the plaster is falling off the building. The chimney on top of that building is ancient and looks like it is going to topple over at any moment. This can’t look very appealing to the thousands of MBTA riders who ride past those buildings on the train tracks behind it to come and spend their hard earned dollars.
@Emily – Thanks. Sorry for omitting that one.
@NewtonGal – Not all of the landlords are the same, but some could certainly stand to up their game. As you say, a Newton address alone isn’t necessarily enough to bring the business that our rents call for.
I would like to speak in defense of Hamilton Company, our landlord in Newton Highlands. We rent two commercial spaces in Newton, so my scope for comparison is narrow, but the two landlords differ as night and day. We have been in the Newton Highlands space little over four years, and our building manager Mr Horn and owner Mr Brown have been caring and responsive to our concerns and requests ranging from better lighting in the parking lot, ac unit not working in august, power washing our awnings and predatory car-towing companies – all outside the scope of landlord responsibilities according to standard commercial lease agreements. (Let’s just say my other landlord doesn’t care as much.) Hamilton Co. should not receive any of the CDBG money, but they should not be vilified. And while raising real-estate taxes on commercial landlords may sound like a good idea to bolster the city coffer, these taxes are passed along to the shop owners. Bigger taxes = bigger rents; not conducive to keeping and attracting independently owned mom/pop businesses that keep our village centers interesting.
Eunice- Have you actually ever really met Harold Brown? I highly doubt it but if you have such a great relationship with the $1.4billion Hamilton Company I would suggest that you ask them to remove the graffiti that has been on the back of 4, 6, and 8 Lincoln Street for a decade now and keeps getting worse and clean up the trash and overgrown weeds behind it. I would also like it if you ask them to fix the chimney on top of that building so if it falls off it won’t fall onto the MBTA train tracks behind it potentially causing a major accident. I also would ask you to have them give the back of that building in particular an overhaul in general as it is unsightly to look at if you live on Floral Street and have to look at it. Furthermore It would have been nice if The Hamilton Company had offered a water source to irrigate the little garden at the top of Lincoln Street but they did not and also if they would pay to have all the flowers placed in front of the store fronts which they do not. Instead the merchants are forced to pay for this betterment themselves every year and it is ridiculous considering that Brown has owned parts of Lincoln Street since the late 1950’s and those building were paid for decades ago and all rents generated are pure profits. I also would like to see fire sprinklers installed in those buildings as there are numerous apartments in those buildings and the buildings are constructed from wood. Not to mention there is a handicap residence at the old Hyde School with at least 50 severely handicapped families living in it that are all in wheel chairs and they cannot even shop or get their hair done or buy hardly anything on the even side of Lincoln Street because none of the spaces are handicap accessible. I think there should be ramps installed in the back of all those buildings to acomodate those residents. I am curious what Alderman John Rice has to say about all of this? I am sure that he reads this blog. Does he have any comments or relationship with The Hamilton Company?
I also encourage any politicians or city officials to drive through the Hamilton Company parking lot that is located behind Walnut Foods and Davis Salon…the even side of Lincoln Street. You will notice a temporary chain link fence that is falling over and barely standing upright that is the only barrier between the 15 or so cars that park facing it every day and the deep plunge to the train tracks below. The earth has eroded all along that ridge and I know that the MBTA has had problems with debris and trash falling onto the train tracks below as a result. This flimsy 4 foot tall chain link fence needs to be replaced with a solid wall or barricade before a car accidentally goes through it one day and crashes to the train tracks below. It amazes me that this dangerous situation is allowed to remain for years and no one speaks up or says anything?
@Newton Gal: I have to say that I’m much more inclined to accept the view of a tenant and merchant who comments here using her own name than someone who is commenting and making accusations anonymously. You clearly have a lot of inside knowledge, enough to make one wonder if you are a competitor or someone with a personal ax to grind.
While this blog allows anonymous comments, your comments are a good example of the downside that comes with that.
Plus why does it matter if Eunice has met Harold Brown before if her experience as a tenant has been a good one?
Greg- Accept what you want. I am a Newton taxpayer who doesn’t like to look at run down buildings when I go shopping. I have just as much right as anyone to voice my concerns. Everything I pointed out is visible to the naked eye if you choose to open yours Greg.
You may have the “right” but you lack the credibility.
Here you are advocating that business owners disclose the details of their private business transactions while you hide behind a smiley face!
How do we know, for example, that you’re not a disgruntled would-be landlord, who is mad that Hamilton outbid you on a transaction? How do we know that you’re not a disgruntled Hamilton employee?
Why the secrecy?
Hello @Newton Gal. Yes, I’ve met Harold Brown, as he lunches at the bakery time to time and our meetings, in this setting, have been always cordial and friendly. The relationship between Mr Brown and myself is of landlord and tenant, and I have perimeters and definitions about what is appropriate in the give & take of that relationship. He has the courtesy to not tell me how to bake my cookies and I do not advise him on his business. And as taxpayers in Newton, I heartedly agree we do and must have a voice, but a shakedown of the landlord for having rundown facades and weeds in the back parking lot of his private property is akin to publicly shaming a neighbor for having chipping paint on his residence. I rather save my voice for the betterment of our schools, responsiveness of our city government and preservation of our town centers. As Greg, Chris Steele and John Rice have witnessed/experienced, I too can be a thorn, but in case of Hamilton Co and Mr Brown, I’ll let you wear that crown. (but I hope to meet you someday – I like people with strong opinions)
@Eunice – I prefer to think of you not as a thorn, but as one who is willing to occasionally poke someone with a sharp stick when necessary. 🙂
Anyone who has time to check out the backs of buildings has too much of it on his hands. NG, perhaps you could organize a team of residents to clean up the public areas you find objectionable on the next NewtonServes Day.
The Highlands has become one of the most attractive villages in the city, thanks to John Rice and his team of gardeners, ice rink makers, gazebo builders, etc. – not to mention his creative ideas for making it one of my “go to” places.
(I hope the back of my garage hasn’t become the talk of my neighborhood)
Jane-I won’t be cleaning up any Newton landlord’s properties anytime soon. Maybe you can go do it? I don’t know where you hail from but for me as a life long Newton resident it is completely unacceptable to have to look at eyesore graffiti and crumbling buildings when the only explicable reason for it is greed, laziness and ambivalence.
Greg-I understand how your day job leaves you in a bit of a lurch when it comes to someone like myself bringing up topics or concerns that are unpleasant or embarassing to big buck business people but you have put yourself in that situation. Nothing that I have put forth in this thread is top secret and I find it comical that you would say such a thing. If you are an MBTA green line rider who passes behind those buildings on a daily basis on your way to and from Riverside MBTA station do you think it is nice to look at garbage, graffiti and weeds behind buildings in Newton? Right now the graffiti is camouflaged by the weeds growing up against the building but in the winter time it is a very depressing and uninviting site to see.
Eunice-I like your baked goods very much and patronize your shop as much as I can. Keep up the good work!
@Newton Gal: Nah. I’m completely comfortable in my day job. I’m not comfortable with people who clearly have some sort of inside connection, maybe even a competing interest, not being comfortable disclosing what that is.
I can’t believe this website is allowing itself to be an open portal for gossip and innuendo not only about a privately held brand, but the executives and risk takers that are behind that brand. Where’s this going next?
@Hoss: A fair point. As you know your Village 14 moderators don’t always see every comment as soon as we’d like. By the time I saw Newton Gal’s posts about Hamilton, Eunice had already done a nice job providing some credible perspective.
NG – Why would I clean up a place that bothers you? If it bothered me, I’d get a crew together on a NewtonServes day and take care of the public places that needed cleaning. Just seems like you have some axe to grind.
BTW, I hail from the hardscrabble town of Andover.
Hi Newtonites
I spent the entire first 25 years of my life in Newton
I went thru the Newton school system and was in the first graduating class of Newton South in 1961
My question:
When I attended school as students we needed to know rhe names of all 14 villages. Now I am hearing there are only 13.?? What happened to the 14th and what was the name of that village
Can someone tell me?
Thank you
Frederick Arcand – the count and identity of the never-quite-official villages of Newton seems to always have been somewhat of a mystery and a moving target. About two years ago I republished a book from 1889 called the Kings Handbook of Newton. It had chapters on each of the 15 villages of Newton including Riverside, Eliot, Nonantum Hill and Woodland.
The biggest Newton village question in my mind has always been Thompsonville?.
BTW – the Kings Handbook of Newton is still available on Amazon.
@Frederick – can you tell us the 14 names you memorized? It’s easier to tell you what’s missing if we know what list you learned.
Hi, and thank you for your response. Yes, I went to Bowen, Weeks, Newton North one year and Newton South two years, graduating in 1961
Throughout my Newton Education, which has served me well for my life so far, we had to know the 14 villages in Newton. I can only come up with thirteen. Here they are in Alpha order
Auburndale, Chestnut Hill, Lower Falls, Newton Centre, Newton Corner, Newton High
lands, Newtonville, Nonantum, Oak Hill, Thompsonville, Upper Falls, Waban and West Newton
Can you tell me what I am missing. I am now 73 years old and
would like to know.