The owner of the site of the former St. Philip Neri church will host a community meeting at the Windsor Club on May 6 at 6:45 pm to present his plans for a 48-unit rental development at the site. The developer expects to take the first step in filing an application for a permit under Ch. 40B later this week. See http://www.
Developer of the St. Philip Neri site to meet with community
by Village 14 | Apr 15, 2015 | Newton | 1 comment
Traffic mitigation and re-arrangement here will be key, but that’s a reason to embrace the project earlier rather than (as often seems to happen) wearing it down until it goes through anyway but with an inferior plan than originally proposed. The latter usually means worse traffic.
In any case, I think, from what I’ve heard so far, that it’s a reasonable plan and one that will add much-needed additional housing in Waban (and would stop the semi-valid complaints that Waban isn’t taking its fair share of new development). It could really inject a lot of vibrancy right there, not far from the square.
Ideally, and more generally, I’d like there to be a wider range of price levels in the new housing being added in Waban (and wherever else in Newton). By which I mean that in addition to “affordable” under the legal definition, there would be some housing that very young professionals with modest starting incomes and no families could afford to rent, lease, or buy into. A lot of the developments lately seem too luxury-oriented. This one might actually have a good mix, but I’m not sure yet.
I also know the “height” of this SPN site project is bound to be a big issue and already has come up. As a matter of personal preference, I don’t particularly think its eventual height would be a big deal to me. That seems like a bit of a silly complaint, but maybe I’m wrong. I live nearby but not right next to it. The architectural concept art looks very beautiful and well suited to the neighborhood.
One other thing I’m wondering about is the environmental impact. I can’t remember if the lot is ex-wetland or not. Since there’s already structures on part of it and a parking lot on the other part, I’m primarily concerned about mitigation, since I think further construction on an already developed parcel is inevitable.