Just about everyone in the Boston tech community has worked in a coworking space at some point. These are hives of activity, not just a place to put your stuff and work at a desk, but a place to find a community of people trying to get a business off the ground.
They are everywhere in the urban neighborhoods of Boston, Cambridge and Somerville, but tend not to be as popular here in the inner-ring suburbs. The need is certainly here, just about every day someone asks me where they can find a place to work that isn’t their house. I started a business by working out of my kitchen, also spending time in a coffee bar and the Newton Free Library before finally getting an office share in Cambridge.
Tonight I’m moderating a panel in the Charles River Mill District to address two key questions: What exactly defines “coworking” and how do we get more spaces here in Newton? Join us!
Panelists include:
- Emily Reichert, exec director of Greentown Labs
- Bill Jacobson, CEO of Workbar
- Vishal Chandawarkar, Manager of Wunderbar at Mullen Lowe
- Duane Mayo, Innovation Rockstars IEC
Details:
Thursday June 18, 5:30-7 p.m.
International Entrepreneurship Center
320 Nevada Street, Newton
Free, advance registration required at www.nnchamber.com/coworking/
Flex spaces are so essential now days, places that can be rented by the day week and even hour allow folks to pursue their dreams and ideas in a setting that is flexible and is not the basement! More flex spaces are needed in Newton for sure! (ideally near our transit stations and not in the Wells Ave area (for example), unless something major changes down there…)
It was a very interesting event and discussion, so kudos to the Newton Needham Chamber for organizing it. The panelists recommended the following in order to encourage coworking space in Newton: tax credits, location near restaurants, and “free parking, and plenty of it.”
@chuck
There are two things that I really love about the Charles River Mill concept and the web site and other material that has been put together.
One. I grew up in the midwest, and came to school in New England and one of the most fascinating and really exciting things I saw was the potential for preserving, repurposing, and transforming New England mill buildings and old architecture so that they could be useful and become ‘new again.’ The Amoskeag mills along the river in Manchester NH for example. I spent a few years working for a great MA company (Digital Equipment, RIP) that was born in the huge mill complex in Maynard MA, and anyone who has wandered through that site will surely come out with a strong sense of New England history. Great stuff, and we have lots of it still here in Newton, lets use it, leverage it. I’m cheering for you guys – it’s badly needed and a great concept.
Two. Here in the Newton Bubble, we need to expand our horizons and work closely, routinely, at the nuts and bolts level, with our neighbors in Waltham, Watertown, Belmont, etc. Anyone who tries to cross Bridge St or head through Watertown Sq from Newton at rush hour knows what disaster is lurking there, with all the develeopment happening on the other side of the river. Forget about debating the pros and cons – the buildings are already finished and filling up.
If you can develop an alternative voice, and articulate what is needed, build positive support for these ideas, you will have done a great service to the community. Any proposals for a framework or structure to start such a process? I note the ‘big plans’ reported in the Globe recently for Watertown and the Arsenal area. How do we collectively (the several towns and cities affected) collaborate on this?
And density, Emily. Don’t forget density.
@Emily, I would say that’s a bit of an over simplification. The tax incentives were one suggestion, but as Bill pointed out, it’s really about making economic sense for coworking to move into an area. That means if the rents are too high or the landlords not willing to work with the spaces, then coworking can’t come into an area.
As for parking, that matters to IEC, but none of the other three spaces have much parking. For them it’s more about transit. So as much as parking equates to transit, then yes they need parking. But if other modes of easy transit were in place then the parking is less necessary. That said, it’s really up to the demographics of the area. For Newton, parking matters.
I biked to the event last night and was disappointed to find only 4 bike locks on site (and no poles to use in place). Those were out back next to the HVAC units. Not ideal in any fashion.
All of them mentioned walkable retail and restaurants. That equates to density.
Thanks Chuck and Greg for organizing last night’s event, and to the panelists who participate, and to IEC for hosting it. Chuck is absolutely correct. Greentown Labs, Workbar, Mullen Lowe and IEC all have different models for success. I was sitting with Newton’s Economic Development Planner, Nancy Hyde, and Needham’s Economic Development Planner, Devra Bailin. Needham and Newton, in collaboration with the Newton-Needham Chamber of Commerce, have been working together closely to bring new businesses into their respective communities and along the N2 Innovation Corridor (straddling 128 in Needham and Newton). Needham in particular has been successful in working with developers to create the density that includes office space, restaurants, hotels, commercial and residential development, which attracts the kinds of businesses we want. Indeed, TripAdvisor (which got its start on Needham Street in Newton) just moved into its new headquarters in Needham. Newton could enjoy the same kind of success, but its leaders need to expand their minds and support the kind of mixed use redevelopment that could save Wells Avenue Office Park and the Needham Street corridor and transform it into a regional, not just local, economic engine.
I was about to jump in as this is a topic I work with everyday. Gratifyingly, just going to say I agree with what @Chuck and @Ted just said.
If this is about innovation, its surprising that outdated “plenty of free parking” thinking is considered key to economic vibrancy, rather than promoting innovations in the transportation collaboration economy: car sharing, ride sharing, parking sharing, bike/e-bike sharing, self-driving cars, and traditional transit. And compact housing to support walking.
The Charles River bikeways are world class in this district and should be promoted as transportation connective tissue in the ecosystem. They don’t show up as a selling point on the mill district web site. Just ask Google how popular their campus bikes are with tech professionals.
Thinking of this as merely a work center for car commuters is anathema to the concept of the innovation ecosystem exemplified by the work-life nexus depicted on the workbar web page.
Nathan, IEC is located on Nevada Street in Nonantum, in one of the old mill buildings. It is not particularly accessible to public transit, and Duane Mayo said that the ample free parking was valued by businesses who use the co-working space as well as conference rooms and other facilities there. As Chuck said, however, the other panelists had different co-working setups which were closer to public transit. For instance, Greentown Labs in Somerville is located close to bus lines on Somerville Ave and Washington Street; Workbar has multiple locations in Boston and Cambridge that are conveniently located near subways and buses; and Mullen Lowe is located in the Financial District of downtown Boston, close to, well, everything. None of these locations have a lot of, if any, free parking. Obviously, each co-working space is designed for and appeals to different types of businesses. What they all have in common is they are close to the amenities like restaurants, stores and other similar businesses that make coworking space so attractive. Village Centers like Newton Centre, West Newton, and Newtonville, among others, would all seem to provide the combination of public transit and amenities that could also work. West Newton, in particular, has easy access to buses, commuter rail and the MassPike.
I spoke after the event with the woman from Greentown Labs and she told me she agreed that ample parking is important even in their location. If we’re interested in creating these co-working spaces in Newton, I think we should listen to those with experience in creating them elsewhere – that was the point of the event, right? They said they would like tax credits but admitted none of them received tax credits to move into their current locations. They also said it was important to have restaurants closeby, and “ample, free” parking. I am only reporting what was said, I am not judging. Having said that, it would be great to see what can be done with alternatives such as those listed by Nathan (though aren’t self-driving cars a few years away?).
@emily – I’m sorry but your response is downright lame for someone who purports to be so green and eco-forward and cutting edge environment-friendly, blah blah blah. Parking as a priority? Are you the same person that lays claim to banning plastic bags, etc? You’re going to have to explain how such positions are consistent, cause I don’t get it. Especially in the geography we’re talking about in this thread. Have you ever walked or biked the Charles River Greenway from say, Waltham down to Harvard Square and further? It’s an incredible resource, unbelievably wonderful to walk or bike at any time of year. I’ve been walking my dogs, riding my bike, walking it and using it for many years since the walkway was completed and the walking bridge was finished. If I have to take my car in for service at the dealer in Watertown Square, I can drop it off and either walk back home, or put a bike in the back and pedal home, rather than have to arrange a ride or have a shuttle. The obvious benefits in convenience and environmental impact are easy to see.
“I am only reporting what was said, I am not judging.” So that’s your justification for advocating parking as a priority? Funny, you seem to have no problem adopting a self-righteous position on other questions.
Emily, I can only assume you were at a different event from Chuck and me. It is pretty clear you need a critical mass of restaurants, coffee shops, public transit, are also key ingredients. Tax incentives and ample free parking are neither necessary nor sufficient for success of coworking spaces. And HL Dewey is right. Ample free parking encourages people to get in their cars, which creates more carbon emissions, which is environmentally unsound.
Parking doesn’t need to be free, but you do need some parking available because there will be workers who need to drive for various reasons (distance, disabilities, need to drop kids at daycare on the way…)
A location like Newton Center would be ideal as it provides shared parking, access to the T, and myriad restaurant options. Some degree of parking is needed, but does not need to be dedicated. A mix of transportation options is really the more preferred model, for many reasons.
@mgwa and Chris Steele, absolutely, some parking is essential, but multi-modal transportation is the sine qua non. Look at the revitalization of the South Boston Seaport and Terminal district. MassChallenge came into an repurposed, renovated building that was virtually empty and attracted entrepreneurial business that have turned a desolate part of the waterfront into a thriving commercial zone. There is limited parking, but the Silver Line and bicycle and pedestrian friendly amenities make it attractive to the “innovation” economy.
How about Newtonville will all its parking and transportation options?
All this talk of parking is so 2014
@Ted – Pretty much what I said. The mix of options with particular emphasis on public transit – even at the expense of dedicated parking – is preferred in greater Boston
Ted – I was in no way denying the need for multiple modes of transportation, just replying to those who think no one should drive.
And don’t forget that Newton Highlands also has lots of food options (especially after the upcoming new openings) and is on the T.
@Ted, you and I were at the same event, and you know very well that is what the speaker said. “Everyone is entitled to her own opinion, but not her own facts” to quote the late, great Senator Moynihan. There were numerous cameras taping the event so perhaps the NN Chamber will post it and others can judge for themselves. If we’re going to move forward to promote more co-working space, I would like to see it be successful.
Greentown Labs does struggle a bit with parking. The lot on its roof is somewhat restricted and people are often scrambling to park around Somerville. That hasn’t stopped anyone from showing up, but it is a frustration.
Which brings me to my main point, what is meant by “ample”? Does it mean acres of parking and a car-based location like Wells Office Park? Or does it mean something more balanced.
All spoke about the need for walkable retail and an urban environment. That’s not accomplished in an office park-like setting. That’s why I say that the discussion is far more nuanced.
Duane Mayo did say “ample free parking” was what IEC needed in Nonantum. You know, as well as I do, that the Mill is not near the commuter rail or the trolley, and does not have frequent bus service. I don’t have a clever quote, but I do have a pretty good memory.
@ted h-m and @emily
One speaker or another may have brought forward a need or desire for more or better parking at their location. That is perfectly understandable. But in terms of a goal, a strategic direction for how to innovate and leverage concepts like coworking space in our community, how to try and make our under-utilized assets (old mill buildings etc) work for us, we need to be looking at the future of work, not the past (traffic and parking all revolving around the automobile). Ain’t going to happen overnight, but here’s some sample scenarios.
http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/apr/28/end-of-the-car-age-how-cities-outgrew-the-automobile
http://www.slideshare.net/stockholmcyclo/the-end-of-the-car-city-a-convenient-truth
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/30/sunday-review/the-end-of-car-culture.html?_r=0
The point is that one needs to start somewhere, and if elected officials who posture and preen about supposedly green or progressive values (fill in the politician of your choice) but rather carry on with the status quo, we’re not going to move forward very far or very fast.
That’s what I find frustrating about someone like Emily Norton. Positions herself as green, Sierra Club, ban plastic bags, change the name of the Board of Aldermen (really don’t understand the big impact of that one) and so forth, but then argues for preserving parking as a high community value (Austin St) or ‘ample free parking’ as key to fostering innovative corworking space. Sorry, I don’t get it. Make up your mind and stick to a set of values, whatever they are. Or are you just blowing with the wind, whatever popular opinion seems to be dominant at the moment.
This encyclical is the gift that keeps on giving:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/06/19/the-popes-wise-advise-on-traffic-parking-and-public-transit/
HDL: Emily clearly said she is just reporting what she heard from the business owners.
To quote another politician from the past, you know when you run for office you won’t “please all the people all the time,” but Mr. Dewey’s critique is a new one… I am not often called out for “just blowing with the wind, whatever popular opinion seems to be dominant at the moment”…
Frankly, Emily, as a dues paying member of the Sierra Club, I have to ask why the executive director of the Massachusetts chapter is advocating for more carbon emissions. I will be taking this up with a board member I know.
Emily:
You do seem to have a focus on parking. I remember you being one of the most vocal politicians regarding Austin Street needing adequate parking. I haven’t heard much from you on that pet issue now that ASP has increased the parking lot.
I’m all for practical solutions to problems. Of course any co-working situation needs parking. Not everyone can bike or take rapid transit. But I guess I’m surprised that any politician wants to make ample parking their pet issue in development.
@emily norton
You may or may not be ‘called out’ for a position but if the shoe fits wear it. I find your response actually insulting, as a registered voter and taxpayer in Ward 2. You have taken quite aggressive public positions on supposedly ‘green’ issues, and tout them on your web site, citing your work with Sierra Club and so forth. Great, kudos to you, usually very popular positions in liberal, progressive, tree-hugging Newton. Then you go off on the Austin St project and now you are worried about parking, of all things. Parking? How is that green and environmentally friendly? Help me out here, I’m confused. What are your core values and what do you really stand for? I would think that walkable villages, transportation-oriented development, smart growth, housing equality, economic and cultural diversity, and so forth, would be right up your alley. But you seem to, no it is not even seem, you have aligned yourself with the rabid anti-development NIMBY and BANANA crowd and the only conclusion I can draw is that you perceive this to be a path to political advantage and popularity with a very vocal faction in Ward 2. How is that effectively representing the cross-section of constituents in your ward, who inevitably include folks like myself who happen to be very much in favor of the Austin St project? Your duty and responsibility as an elected official is not to selectively support one position or another (and there will always be opposing views – it’s called a democracy) but to faithfully represent the entire electorate, not just those who voted for you. Once in office, you owe it to all of us who vote and pay taxes in your ward to represent and advocate for our interests, regardless of where you personally stand on a specific question. Apparently you have not yet figured out how this works, and do not seem to comprehend your civic responsibilty as an elected official. Am I being harshly critical and a pain in the ass? Maybe, but you asked for the job when you ran for office, so get with the program and figure it out. You are an elected official, you asked for this, you wanted to be an Alderman, so don’t cry for sympathy when the folks who pay the taxes and ‘own the store’ ask you to do your job. Just my two cents, don’t mind me.
@ted h-m
Ted, thanks for the link to the Sierra Club page. Interesting link. I note that a person named Alison Leary is on the Mass Chapter Executive Committee – would that be the same Alison Leary who is a member of the Newton Board of Aldermen? What’s up with that? Did Alison Leary participate in the decision to hire Emily Norton as the Chapter Director? Just asking. I don’t know, google it yourself and figure it out. You being a dues paying member I hope you will track it all down, in the interest of transparency and accountability of course. Report back, we all want to know what the real story might be. Pay no attention to that guy behind the curtain over there.
Yes. Very much so. Of course an elected representative represents all their constituents, but as you well know, all their constituents do not agree, So at the end of the day, they have to make a decision and vote yes or no on an issue, which is ALWAYS going to go against what SOME of their constituents want. I assume you understand that – or have you not figured out how this works?
(You know Huey, I used to think the folks around here who thought maybe you were someone other than a random duck on the street were maybe jumping to conclusions. But now I think you’ve shown your true feathers.)
Recommended reading: “The high Cost of Free Parking” by Donald Shoup: The author makes a convincing argument that free parking contributes to auto dependence, urban sprawl, clogged roads, and high energy use.
Last April I helped to organize a forum at the Library on parking benefit districts. This is an idea that all or a portion of the parking revenue generated through meters stay in that neighborhood or district for local improvements, such as beautification projects (like more street trees). The marketplace sets pricing (called “dynamic pricing”), ensuring optimal space vacancy rates while returning funds to the business district. We may try a pilot of such a program in Nonantum.
This is what Prof Shoup has to say about parking benefit districts:
“Minimum parking requirements emerge from a political, not an analytical process, and better analysis alone will affect the outcome. In the politics of zoning for parking, planners must weigh the interests of residents against the interests of developers. Residents want no on-street parking but their own; developers must pay for off-street parking to prevent spillover. The minimum parking requirements born of compromise and political expediency cannot be characterized as a coherent system that takes into account the effects of parking on traffic, land use, air quality, and urban form. Minimum parking requirements have never been used as a long-run strategic instrument, but are instead reactive, tactical responses to solve immediate and intensely local problems”.
We have spent the last 90 years prostrating ourselves to the automobile at a great cost to our communities, our environment, our public spaces and our pocketbook. Why should we continue to subsidize driving and prioritize parking over people? It’s time to rethink our strategy and offer more transportation options. Of course this will take time, but it’s taken close to a century to get us to where we are now.
@H.L Dewey, I agree with your thoughts on innovation and the changing transportation landscape. Our focus must be on walkable village centers, transit oriented development, improving bike and pedestrian access and investing in transit. Years from now people will look back and say, “Can you believe they routinely moved around a single 175 lb person in a 4000 lb vehicle?
Yes, I am the same person who is also on the MA Sierra Club Executive Committee. The chapter had been looking for a new director for almost a year with no luck. I told Emily about the job, but I was not on the search committee. I can tell you that she has been doing a very effective job for us.
I have to agree with Tricia regarding your criticism of Emily on how she represents her constituents. I think you are being unfair on this point. No one is more consciousness, more diligent or more mindful of the thoughts and concerns of Newton residents than Emily.
Thanks to Ald. Hess Mahan for sending me this quote from Sir Edmund Burke, in his Speech to the Electors of Bristol. This is a favorite of mine and helps guide me when pressed with a difficult decision or a tough vote;
“Certainly, gentlemen, it ought to be the happiness and glory of a representative to live in the strictest union, the closest correspondence, and the most unreserved communication with his constituents. Their wishes ought to have great weight with him; their opinion, high respect; their business, unremitted attention. It is his duty to sacrifice his repose, his pleasures, his satisfactions, to theirs; and above all, ever, and in all cases, to prefer their interest to his own. But his unbiased opinion, his mature judgment, his enlightened conscience, he ought not to sacrifice to you, to any man, or to any set of men living. These he does not derive from your pleasure; no, nor from the law and the constitution. They are a trust from Providence, for the abuse of which he is deeply answerable. Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion.”
@Ted-Five bus lines do serve this area. It’s better than many parts of the City. It is walking distance from Newtonville commuter rail as well.
553 – Roberts – Downtown Boston via Newton Corner & Central Sq., Waltham. Stops at Washington & Walnut Street
554-Waverley –. Stops at Washington & Walnut Street
559 Needham Junction- Stops on Watertown Street near Broadway
556-Express Downtown Boston- Stops at Walnut & Linwood Street
558-Express Downtown –Stops at Adams & Watertown Street
It is entirely appropriate for the elected alder representing Newtonville (even if they are environmentally-enlightened) to be concerned about available parking in her village and other parts of our city. At this moment, businesses and residents depend on it.
And I hope that now that Austin Street Partners have added back all the existing public spaces to their proposal (plus added underground spaces for tenants), the long-term parking concerns Norton and others have expressed for Newtonville have been resolved. (Short term concerns about parking during construction are very real.)
But even if Norton still opposes the Austin Street project for additional reasons, I hope she will use the position of respect she has earned among many Austin Street opponents to help them understand the benefits of smart growth and the need for our society to encourage alternative ways of getting around.
@Emily- I saw on facebook that you have a beautiful new electric car. Congratulations on cutting your emissions to zero! I certainly hope you have a place to park it when shopping in Newtonville.
@Ted – Have you bought yours yet ? 🙂
That is very cool..
I’ve managed to upload the somewhat rough audio files to SoundCloud.
You can find them here: https://soundcloud.com/chuck-tanowitz/coworking-talk
We will have a video eventually as well.
Congratulations on cutting your emissions to zero!
I hope you realize that electric cars do not cut emissions to zero. The electricity they use comes from a power plant that creates emissions when it generates the electricity. They do reduce emissions, and have zero emissions on the road, but that is not the same as having zero emissions in total.
Greg, I had no problem with Emily taking a stand for the parking at ASP, even though I disagreed with her regarding the need. But now that they added back in the parking, I haven’t heard much of anything from her regarding the change.
I viewed the parking issue as a red herring initially, since I use the parking lot daily and just didn’t feel it was utilized enough so that the loss of some portion of spaces would make a difference. I figured that most folks were just taking advantage of the outraged about loss of parking to fight the project, even if that loss didn’t really cause a harm in the real world like they said it did.
I think the reaction of the opponents to the additional parking has been telling. I’m assuming it would be the same if they reduce the height or size.
Anyway, to get back to the matter at hand I look forward to watching the videos once posted so I can judge for myself.
@Alison Leary – forget the Edmund Burke speech – I always felt he was over-rated anyway. The question would be, and I certainly do not know the answer, not whether you served on the search committee, for example. The question would be whether within the management structure and process of the local chapter of the Sierra Club your position on the Exective Committee places you in a position where you participated in the hiring decision for the Chapter Director, for example, or for that person’s compensation, performance evaluation, supervision of their work and so forth. I’m not a member of the Sierra Club and am not at all familiar with how it operates, but I’m sure one could easily check all that. I’m also sure that you, and Emily, and the Sierra Club are all nice people and work very hard to make the world a better place, but for you and Emily as both elected officials and sitting Aldermen in the City of Newton, it would be totally inappropriate for one of you to be a paid employee of an organization and have the other sitting Alderman making hiring and compensation decisions directly concerning that person. If that were the case one or the other of you should immediately resign your position.
Is this really so hard to figure out? Don’t you think it looks a little fishy just on the face of it? Who exactly at the Sierra Club made the hiring decision, was it the Executive Committee or someone else? If you sat on that Committee and it made the decision, did you at least have sense enough to recuse yourself and not participate in that specific vote, since you knew the candidate?
It’s great that the Sierra Club advocates for things like banning plastic bags, but elected officials need to be a little circumspect about promoting political positions and legislation when they are paid employees of an organization, even one as respected as the Sierra Club, that is pushing a particular position and agenda.