Will the Pawsox become the Newsox instead of the Woosox? Facing significant questions regarding the financing of the proposed new Red Sox minor-league stadium in Worcester, the ownership group began casting about late last year for further options.
Meanwhile, in light of unwavering opposition from the abutting Newton Upper Falls neighborhood, the Northland Investment Corp. had opted not to move forward with its planned mixed-use development on the site of the former Saco-Pettee Mill, at the intersection of Needham Street and Oak Street.
Northland has instead put forth a proposal to relocate the 15,000-seat minor-league facility to the 22.6 acre site in Newton Upper Falls. A company spokesman noted that the site can comfortably fit a facility of that professional level, practice fields, an integrated sports medicine clinic, a Dave & Busters, and a parking facility for the expected game-time visitors. The complex will incorporate not only ancillary commercial and corporate development to support the Newsox, but also include shared workspaces, a café, massage facilities, and other uses required to fully support the N2 Innovation District. The development will be similar in concept, if not in scale, to Patriot Place.
Current zoning does not explicitly prohibit the use, but Northland will still need to apply for a special permit. It is important to note that based upon feedback from the community, there will be no vehicular entry or exit from Oak Street.
Disclaimer: This was one of our many April Fools stories for 2019
As a neighbor I’m not sure how I feel about this change in use. The good news is that dropping all of the housing from the previous plan will definitely relieve the pressure on the schools but I have to believe that game day traffic is going to be a nightmare.
The question once again is “how will this fit in with Upper Falls and Needham Street?” and the answer once again is “nobody knows” because no master plan.
@jerryreilly There will be shuttles …
I love baseball more than the next guy, but this is infuriating. We have a housing crisis in eastern Massachusetts that cannot and should not be ignored.
Reminds me of the multi family project that was proposed for the corner of Beacon and Chestnut which the developer withdrew after some NIMBY stirring, or the plans in Waban Square that some folks at the Windsor Club squashed before it could be heard. Only this is much worse because this project would have provided so many more homes for people who need them and really was an outstanding project overall.
@Jerry: This school crowding issue is a red herring.
Mayor Fuller issued a statement last month saying that a demograhic report “indicates that even if all four [pending development] proposals are eventually approved by the City Council, enrollment would continue to be manageable with just a slight increase in students.”
That doesn’t mean we don’t need to invest in improving our schools — we do — but it does mean that folks should stop saying these projects will lead to over crowding as if it’s a fata complete.
And, in fact, these large projects would increase the bonding capacity that would allow fixing our schools possible.
While tongue in cheek, there are no so subtle digs at the folks who live most closely to the Northland project – particularly those who live closest to Oak Street.
For those who live on those streets, the entrance proposed on Oak Street is a big deal. Snarky comments – even under the cloak of an April Fools – minimizes the feelings of these direct abutters.
I just heard that Vernors will sign on as corporate sponsor! This is fantastic, considering the historical significance and their past support of an U.F. team. Maybe they will open a new ginger ale-house on site. Anyway, I’m off to Wegmans to pick up a case to celebrate!
I’ve been hearing rumors about this in recent weeks. I think it would be great addition to Newton!
@Greg — The problem with both the mayor’s statement and the school department’s numbers is that they both are based on flawed student generation projections that vastly underestimate the number of students that will come from these developments.
We absolutely SHOULD improve our schools and we absolutely MUST maintain our quality of education for EVERY single student that comes from each of these developments. What we also must also do, however, is to recognize the financial impact of these huge developments and plan for the costs accordingly, and planning requires correct estimates.
@Leon:
Please back up your comment. What’s flawed about it?
Development leading to overcrowded schools is not the red herring. We have experienced with Avalon Needham st. One development of 300 units provided 100 school children. This led to Countryside being overcrowded. Buffer Zones moved the overcrowding to Bowen then to Mason-Rice. This lead to Zervas being moved up in the building plan and dramatically expanded. Some of the existing overcrowding is just starting to get alleviated though there are still schools where student population are being watched (Angier). The large grades are just starting to roll through the middle schools and South is currently at an enrollment high. I’m sorry to say that these large developments (a potential of over 1700 units) are not going to significantly impact the schools is not realistic. The past shows us that. There is a joint meeting April 10th of the City Council and School Committee where the Demographic report will be presented. I will be interested to hear the details. My understanding is that the school population is expected to remain stable around 12,700 students after years of growth before you add in the students these new developments will bring. As Jane has mentioned in the past more students means not only more classroom space but requires other additional programming space as well and other costs such as transportation and staffing. Right now we are in a long term process of improving our school buildings which were neglected. This cost money. If additional space is needed it will also cost money.
And I guess traffic is a red herring too. Oh wait Northland has developed an instant travel transporting service from their site directly to and from Boston and a flyover from RT 128 directly into their complex detouring Needham St completely.
@Greg — I am happy to engage you in serious debate on this topic, but not in the moderated-by-you comments to a joke post that you put up and then used as a vehicle to attack people opposed to Northland’s massive project. That’s not exactly a level playing field, is it?
The info you ask for is on rightsizenewton.org and I’d be happy to distill it into a post on this blog, if you are interested in hosting it.
Northland struck out with their first plan, but this one is a grand slam. Just think of how many photo ops the ballpark would present for Mayor Fuller. I’m worried that the city’s ban of flavored chewing tobacco might snuff this plan out though.
Seriously… Yes, the Northland project WILL contribute to school overcrowding. Some things don’t require a 100 page study, just a little common sense. And our public officials have a lousy track record for predicting these things. All you have to do is look at Avalon on Needham Street to roughly project the impact of 800 Northland housing units on Newton’s public schools.
That being said, I am an enthusiastic supporter of the Northland site development. The key is to shape it as a beneficial addition to the community, rather than a constant source of distress. City leaders must negotiate the best possible deals on all large scale projects with their developers. This is a huge project and it’s perfectly reasonable to expect Northland to directly contribute classroom space for our schools as part of the plan.
Does anybody know if Northland are still going to propose the water taxi scheme? I think it is great idea. It would a nice way to commute into Boston / Cambridge.
Simon, do you mean the proposed water taxi service through the un used Sudbury aqueduct? I think we would need enough sky lights to make it pleasant.
… and for the more adventurous, the white water rafting taxi over the Upper and Lower Falls.
I thought they were proposing a hovercraft
We’re way too focused on enrollment in the discussion about school overcrowding. The schools have been overcrowded for over 20 years, well before the enrollment increase. The programmatic additions, with no added capacity to the school facility, is a major driver of school overcrowding and will not go away with or without the developments.
We need to enlarge the elementary schools to accommodate new programs that are often mandated
but not funded by the state. In addition, a 21st century education includes updated curriculum (the balanced literacy program, technology, etc.) that requires significant space in order to carry out a quality program.
As for enrollment, when a school is rebuilt, assume that there will be peaks and valleys over the 50 or so years of the life of a school building. Build that into the plan.
April Fools right?
Hats off to Chris Steele and Jen Kohl for kicking off this years v14 April Fools fun and foolishness with this NewSox story.
Loved that site plan drawing
Very Funny! terrible idea