March 2025 Newsletter
What's up with Northland? Why is the project going back to the City Council?
After years of study, community engagement and debate, the City Council approved Northland's plans for a mixed use development on a 22.6 acre site in Newton Upper Falls. Voters then decisively upheld the decision in mid-March 2020. So why are there still no units available at the Northland site?
Impact of the pandemic
The impact of the pandemic on construction projects throughout Newton is still being felt. Construction material and labor shortages led to whopping cost increases of 40% since 2020. The construction industry shook to its foundations and still struggles to recover. Investors balked.
The market for new office space and life sciences dried up; as of 2025, vacancies in suburban Boston stand at 23% for offices and 27% for life sciences.
Why would any investor finance new office space under those conditions? Like many other developers, the Northland Company has needed to rethink how it can proceed with its project given a very different economic reality.
To attract the needed investors, Northland's solution is to reduce the scope, size, and scale of the project by eliminating the office space and substituting residential space which is in high demand.
What's happened so far?
While Northland was able to self-finance pre-construction work, they need investors to finance the full build-out of the site.
So far, Northland has spent $78 million to complete demolition, restore South Meadow Brook, rehabilitate the massive city drainage culvert, install underground utilities, and build internal roadways. They have also passed all required design development reviews and have prepared the documents needed to apply for construction permits.
What's their proposed plan?
Northland proposes that 80% of the project remain unchanged. But instead of creating office space in the historic Saco-Pettee Mill Building, they would restore and adapt the mill to create 100 apartments. The total number of apartments will increase from 800 to 822, with the number of affordable units increasing from 140 to 144.
The proposed changes would reduce the size of two of the larger buildings and eliminate five smaller buildings along the Greenway. Open space, already at 40% of the site, would increase. The open space includes 7 public park areas, more than 700 new trees and a Splash Park currently under construction.
Ground floor stores and restaurants would remain throughout the site, but someadditional ground level parking would be provided, and some underground parking eliminated. And the free shuttle service, available to all in the area, will continue to serve residents at peak hours of the day.
Why does Northland need a City Council approval to build a smaller project?
Substantive changes to any special permit require approval by the Council. The permit must be amended, even though in this case all of the best elements of the previous plan remain in place. As there is much less traffic generated by apartments than by offices, concerns about traffic and parking may be sharply reduced.
This should be an easy decision for the City Council.
Yet, when the Land Use committee opened its hearing on the proposed amendments in early March, several councilors had many questions for the developer.
Financial impact across the city
The revised project will be somewhat smaller than the earlier version, and total property taxes will doubtless decrease. Several councilors expressed a desire to retain the office use which they believe would generate more property tax revenue than the same amount of space devoted to residences.
But, as Newton's Assessors have told us, many factors go into determining property assessments, including the number, sizes, and rental rates of apartments and offices. The jury remains out on this issue.
There will of course be no tax benefits to the city nor a boost for local business if the project cannot go forward.
Need for a diversity of homes
We all know that the pandemic not only claimed over a million US lives, but also wreaked havoc on the economy. We’ve seen the commercial office market tank, resulting in high vacancies everywhere.
Newton’s need for more diverse housing opportunities continues unabated. Housing costs continue to be out of reach for the current and next generations. Northland is a step in the right direction.
What you can do
Newton for Everyone supports swift approval of the revised plan as necessary to contribute to the well-being of our community.
Please join us to tell the Council that the voters have already voted to support this project–and that you continue to support this visionary proposal for Newton.
The public hearing before the Land Use Committee continues March 25. Go in person or join online to express your support. (The weekend before go to the Friday Packet that will have agenda and a link for those who want to zoom in.)
You can also write to the City Council at citycouncil@newtonma.gov. Your email will be forwarded to all the Councilors.
Accessory Dwellings: New Opportunities for Homeowners in Newton
On March 4, Will Cohen, author of the Accessory Dwelling Unit Guidebook and a senior planner from Boston, discussed the benefits, implementation, and future of accessory dwelling units (ADUs).
His message was clear: ADUs offer significant benefits for individual homeowners and the broader community while addressing the region’s housing challenges. From providing financial security and flexibility for families to increasing housing stock and promoting economic diversity, the potential of ADUs is undeniable.
Click here to see the summary of the event and watch the presentation
Housing and Climate Change: What's the Connection
Join Us on Wednesday, April 30 at 7 PM
As realtors say, “Location, location, location”.
Location matters - for access to jobs, good schools, public amenities, art, culture and general quality of life. But it also matters for mitigating against climate change, protecting natural landscapes, and managing traffic.
What’s the impact on: Trees? Traffic? Transit?
Featured speaker: Dan Ruben:
Long-time Newton resident Dan Ruben teaches Sustainable Hospitality and Tourism at several universities, including Boston University and University of Southern Maine. He wrote the textbook Sustainable Hospitality. Dan has been a Board member of Green Newton since 1996. He is currently the Chair and leads its Building Standards Committee, which has persuaded developers to build Passive House, all-electric, low embodied carbon developments.
Volunteer to advocate for diverse housing
If you would like to find out how you can help advocate for more diverse housing, let us know.
Newton for Everyone is dedicated to promoting housing opportunities for people of all ages, means, backgrounds and abilities in Newton. The housing shortage affects all of us. We believe that diverse housing options are crucial to fostering a thriving community, a sustainable environment and a robust economy.