Hobson: Fuller should be Riverside’s ‘loudest cheerleader’

Hobson: Fuller should be Riverside’s ‘loudest cheerleader’

by | Oct 3, 2019 | housing, Newton, Riverside, Ruthanne Fuller | 25 comments

The following originally appeared as a letter to the editor in this week’s Newton TAB. Reprinted with permission.

In a recent newsletter, Mayor Fuller informs us that the plan for Riverside has been scaled back in response to “neighbors’ concerns,” which “also means a reduction in community benefits.” She suggests attending the next City Council hearing, if we “want to be involved.” I can almost hear, “Or whatever.”

The lack of enthusiasm in the Mayor’s message is unsettling. A year ago, she signed the Metro Mayors Coalition Housing Task Force Compact with 14 other area leaders (housingtaskforce.mapc.org), affirming the dire regional housing shortage and pledging to do all she could to alleviate it.

At the time, she told the Boston Globe that housing proposals in Newton faced tough neighborhood opposition, but she had faith in the

WGBH explores Newton’s density debate

by | Jun 12, 2019 | Affordable housing, Riverside | 25 comments

From WGHB reporter Craig LeMoult
At a public hearing in Newton last week on a proposal for a huge new housing and commercial development, some community members who spoke said they see density as a solution to the city’s housing problems. Dense housing, these residents said, creates a more vibrant community atmosphere, enables more use of mass transit, and helps reduce the city’s impact on climate change.But for others, even those who want to see more
Is Riverside Station a transit-oriented site? Yes or no

Is Riverside Station a transit-oriented site? Yes or no

by | Jun 4, 2019 | City Council, economic development, MBTA, Riverside | 33 comments

In a multi-pronged proposal to the City Council’s joint Zoning & Planning and Land Use committee meeting Tuesday, the Right Size Riverside committee (also known as Lower Falls Improvement Association) started its presentation for the Riverside MBTA station site (city documents here) with an usual request..

Don’t call the Riverside MBTA site a “Transit Oriented Development.”

Here’s how Right Sized explained its request in a memo…

“…Riverside is not robust.  Located at the terminus of the Green Line D Branch, with long travel times to most major centers of employment, and with only one MBTA bus line stopping at Riverside only