The Globe reports on a Mayor Warren’s proposal to bring retail, community space and five to 10 housing units to the vacant building that formerly served as the Newton Centre Library Branch and was deemed to not be a suitable home to MassChallenge.
Housing, retail proposed for Newton Centre library
by Greg Reibman | Oct 22, 2016 | Newton | 2 comments
Sounds good to me!
I wish Mayor Warren would stop trying to milk political capital from every city initiative, and just focus on doing the right thing. We’re at the point where he’s using the mayor’s office as a political trampoline, in an obvious bid to bounce Baker out of the governor’s office.
Councilor Danberg is the only one who’s got this Newton Centre Library issue completely right… “We have a lack of senior housing, and we have a need for housing for the disabled. We certainly have a need for housing for the economically disadvantaged, but this is just one of the possibilities that ought to be looked at.”
In my opinion, the city should be moving swiftly to bring in a developer who will convert the building to senior, disabled, and affordable housing. It’s not a good building for mixed-use, and the “community space” requirement will likely result in fewer housing units and make the project less attractive to developers.