We Can Do Better: Examples Close To Home

Major developments like Northland are bound to involve conflicts of interest. The question is how they get resolved. It is entirely possible to create projects that will satisfy all parties – with of course some give on every side.  Here are two other projects happening nearby and currently that show what can be done.

• Riverside: A very large project has been approved at the Riverside site along Route 128 on Newton’s west side. After intensive and thorough discussions, the developer and residents developed a plan acceptable to all. That plan was approved by the city council unanimously. There will be 611 Apartments instead of the 800 originally proposed. Commercial and retail space has been cut back in order to reduce traffic congestion. The Riverside project demonstrates that compromise is possible, agreement is possible, unanimous approval is possible. All this happened just months before the council voted on Northland. For Northland, by contrast, approval was far from unanimous. Seven councilors voted against the plan.
• The Wellesley Office Park: This project was approved in 2019. It’s located just a mile or so away from the Northland site. The site is a bit bigger than the Northland (26 vs. 22.7 acres), but it will have fewer residential units (600 vs. 800), hence a much lower density. What’s remarkable is that although Wellesley will have fewer total units, it will have more units that are affordable (150 vs 140).

Of course, every project has its own objectives and constraints. We don’t expect Northland to be exactly like Riverside or Wellesley; but surely it can be better in significant ways and at the same time get more unanimous approval from its neighbors and the city.