We are the problem
In a thread deep within the comments I was essentially told to leave Newton and move to a place that has more housing. In truth, I live in within the municipal borders of Newton, but my life doesn’t stop there. I live in the Greater Boston area. We all do. My...
8 ideas for improving Newton’s economic future in 2020
After spending a few years working to bring economic activity to Newton, I’ve come to the conclusion that, while we’re doing a lot of good things, we’re not doing enough in some areas that have been proven to work in other communities. While Newton...Flora’s to open in W. Newton
While we can mourn the loss of Lumiere, we have a name for the new concept moving in where Coney Island had been. It’s called Flora’s and I missed the post on Boston Restaurant Talk when it hit a few weeks back, but it looks to be a 20-seat concept that,...
Blackbird Doughnuts to open in Newton Centre
This is a step in making Newton Centre cool… kinda. Blackbird Doughnuts is opening up on Union Street. That makes the street a pretty interesting culinary destination, with places like Comedor, Farmstead Table, Health Bar, Woops!, and the venerable...
Housing Group maps density around T stations
A big part of the debate in Newton has been around housing density. We don’t talk about it that way, but that’s what it comes down to: how many units fit on an acre of land. A group of researchers mapped the MBTA stations around the MBTA and said that if...
What’s happening this week?
It’s Thanksgiving wee, so what is happening around town? I know that Zervas had its Turkey Trot this past weekend, but what’s coming up? Tell us your Thanksgiving Week events!
Turning Newton into Boston… or Boston into Newton
One of the NIMBY refrains is that those of us who would like to see increased density in Newton are trying to turn Newton into something else. I’ve heard people derisively use cities like Chelsea, Lawrence and Lynn. Sometimes Brookline and Cambridge come up. ...Newton’s Brand
For the past three years I fretted over Newton’s brand. In my opinion, an area’s brand is what can attract business, as much as its efforts around zoning and regulation. The problem is, Newton, from an economic perspective, has no real brand. When...
MAPC to Newton: Here’s where you need to build bike lanes
Massachusetts Area Planning Council recently completed a report that looks at ridership of Lime bikes since they came into the market in 2018. There is a lot here and I’m not going to unpack all of it. I suggest reading it not only for the facts, but for how...The Slippery Slope of Size
To listen to the Right Size argument in Newton is to hear a lot about the heights of buildings. Right Sizers living near the Northland property think it has too many apartments, while those over near Riverside fretted (until recently) that it had too few housing units...
Farmacy open in Four Corners, and other restaurant happenings
Newton is seeing a bit of movement on the restaurant front. The most recent entry is the Farmacy, which opened in Newton Four Corners. It’s in the same small strip mall as The Dumpling House (a personal favorite). It’s interesting since Four Corners is...
Crazy Divers: Men be like...
drivers man be like