Why we should all care about what happens to Mount Ida’s campus
As anyone who has been following the news knows, UMass Amherst deal to acquire the Mount Ida College campus in Newton is drawing intense political heat. As I wrote in a statement for the Newton-Needham Chamber, lost in all the noise is the fact that this proposal...Carlson Woods sale called off, following UMass’ Mount Ida acquisition
On the heels of news that UMass is acquiring Newton’s Mount Ida College, plans to build eight homes along Carlson Avenue will not go forward, Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller announced today
“I’ve spoken with University of Massachusetts President Marty Meehan and he’s committed to being a good neighbor and working with the residents of Newton,” Fuller said in a statement.
Meehan said that the present agreement on the eight parcels along Carlson Avenue would not go forward as part of the UMass transaction, which was part of a positive dialogue about the future of the campus, the statement added.
TAB editorial prioritizes Webster over Carlson Woods
In a TAB editorial today, editor Andy Levin explains why the city should be “prepared to go to the mat” to preserve Webster Woods from development but offer no particular alarm or call to action when it comes to the Carlson Woods property. Webster Woods...Plans for Mormon Church, plus private homes, concerns Oak Hill abutters
Mount Ida College has sold an approximately five-acre parcel of land along Carlson Avenue to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (proposal here) and some abutters are “fighting mad,” the TAB’s Julie Cohen reports. Resident Pamela Burton said...National Public Radio profiles METCO in Newton
Today on NPR’s All Things Considered, host Audie Cornish presented Looking Back on 50 Years of Busing in Boston, an insightful segment on Boston’s METCO program, in which she was a student years ago. Today she profiled the Bailey family in Mattapan and...
Sharing STEM at Oak Hill Middle School
Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to share some of my experiences as a Physicist with about 85 6th graders at Oak Hill having become a STEM Ambassador with a program called DIGITS. According to the program, DIGITS is a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and...Alderman deny permit for controversial Oak Hill retaining wall
Newton’s Board of Aldermen voted Monday not to reconsider their earlier vote to deny the owner of a retaining wall on Lovett Road a special permit that would have allowed the wall to remain, Wicked Local Newton reports. Someone smarter than me will need to...Should aldermen ‘forgive’ Oak Hill homeowner or make him remove retaining wall?
Ellen Ishkanian has a story in the Globe today about the Lovett Road homeowner who built an elaborate retaining wall in his year without obtaining the required special permit and engineering approval from the city. Inspectional Services Commissioner John Lojek says...Big 40B housing project proposed for Wells Ave
Trevor Jones reported in today’s Newton Tab about a proposal to build a 334 unit housing development in the Wells Ave office park off Nonantum Street. The project would include 84 units that would be set aside for tenants at or below 80% of the area median...Anybody know what happened to Oak Hill Pizza?
A concerned customer says Oak Hill Pizza closed without notice two weeks ago.
Can anyone top an 18-year gas leak?
This past Saturday I was on McCarthy Road in Oak Hill for the Tree Planting class for representatives (including Adam Peller!) of the neighborhood groups where Newton Tree Conservancy is planting trees this Saturday, and we got eight of the trees planted. I also met...