The Boston Globe
March 8, 2020
By Katherine Levine Einstein and Maxwell Palmer

Last Tuesday, almost 60 percent of Newton voters supported the highly contentious Northland Newton Development. The mixed-use development — the largest in the city’s history — will provide 800 units of housing, 140 of which will be affordable. Housing advocates are celebrating the success of this referendum, and the infusion of housing it will provide in one of the region’s most advantaged suburbs.

The process of approving this much-needed housing, however, underscores the region’s broken housing policies. This project was supported by majorities of both residents and the City Council. It nonetheless had to go through an 18-month permitting process and survive a long sequence of hurdles.

Each public hearing empowered opponents to raise objections, slow down the project, and ultimately reduce the amount of housing that will be built. After the permit was granted by the city, the referendum election added an additional three month delay. While the process led to several greenspace and transit benefits for the area, it also increased the cost of development, and may make other housing developers wary of building affordable housing in Newton. This is a serious problem in a region that is facing a crushing housing shortage.

It should not require a well-organized campaign and the votes of 18,565 people to get one housing project approved. Representative government requires delegating responsibility to our elected officials. If we do not like how they have approached development decisions — or other matters — we can vote them out in the next election.

While being forced into a public referendum is somewhat unusual, the Northland development process is unfortunately all too typical in housing politics. Across the country, building new housing, both big and small, often requires multiple meetings across many months. Each of these meetings invites public comment, typically officially solicited from a proposed development’s neighbors.

On its face, public participation in development seems laudable, acting as an integral underpinning to local democracy. In practice, it does the opposite: Our research shows that public meetings empower an unrepresentative group of people who overwhelmingly oppose new housing. In our book “Neighborhood Defenders: Participatory Politics and America’s Housing Crisis,” coauthored with our colleague David Glick, we find that the people who participate in the permitting process are more likely to be white, male, older, and own a home than others in their community. Across Massachusetts towns, from 2015 to 2017, only 14 percent of those speaking at permitting meetings about multifamily housing were in favor of the development. As the Northland referendum shows, true public support is much higher.

Indeed, recent election results underscore an unfortunate liberal inconsistency on housing policy. On Super Tuesday, Democratic primary voters flocked to the polls to endorse candidates with robust plans to improve and increase the nation’s housing stock. The platforms of former vice president Joe Biden and Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren all advocate for housing policies that would make it easier to build more housing. In Newton, more than 90 percent of voters cast a vote in the Democratic primary. A sizable portion of those voters opposed those same principles when it came to their own backyards: At least 35 percent of Newton Democratic voters opposed the Northland project.

Sanders’ positions illustrate this disjoint between national and local housing preferences. Sanders’ housing plan outlines regulatory and funding measures that would increase the supply of national housing for residents at a variety of income levels. Yet, he opposes local housing developments and endorses politicians in local races who fight critical zoning reform.

Facing a crippling housing crisis, our region needs to make it easier to build dense, multifamily homes. Newton’s support for new housing is commendable, but the process needs substantial reforms, such as Governor Baker’s proposal that allows local communities to grow flexibly and meet housing needs. It is imperative that local and state governments reduce the power of a vocal minority to hoard opportunity at the expense of homes for all.

Katherine Levine Einstein and Maxwell B. Palmer are assistant professors of political science at Boston University.

To view the full article, visit https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/03/08/opinion/newton-other-communities-must-reform-affordable-housing-process/

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Super Tuesday was full of surprises, both good and bad.  But one of the most intriguing was Newton’s decisive support for Northland’s large Upper Falls development.

Zoning changes to enable the 800-unit, 1.1 million-square-foot office-residential-retail project from Northland Investment Corp. were previously approved by a two-thirds majority of the City Council, but community groups used a quirk in the city’s charter to force a referendum on the council’s decision.

Voters backed the zoning change by a wide margin of 58 percent to 42 percent, defying fears that the city’s deep NIMBY streak would rear its head again.

It would likely be a mistake to read the vote as a full-throated endorsement of any and all new development.  Not only did the development team offer a tantalizing series of concessions and money to improve public infrastructure and mitigate traffic, but their supporters made it clear that Northland – which already owns the land – could well build a Chapter 40B multifamily project on the site if their project was not approved.  In addition, the team was able to form alliances with local YIMBY groups and affordable housing advocates, helping amplify the reality that this project would help chip away at the city’s decades of exclusionary behavior.

This combination of incentives certainly swayed some voters, buttressing a well-capitalized education and get-out-the-vote campaign to ensure the defeat of angry community groups whose sole agenda seems to be preserving the existing order, regardless of manifest problems both large and small.

As unique as the circumstances of any political situation are, however, Northland’s win last week could point the way towards a better type of development in Massachusetts’ suburbs as land use decisions get more and more political.

First, the project took neighbors’ traffic concerns seriously.  From the complicated and expensive, like a shuttle bus system, to the more prosaic and cheap, like shared car seats for kids residents can use when renting a Zipcar, Northland offered a range of mitigation measure designed to reduce its residents’ and visitors’ needs for cars.

Second, the project will be designed at a pedestrian scale, making the place hospitable and encouraging residents to stay on-site for as many of their daily needs as possible.

Third, and most importantly, the project will be located in the middle of a major employment area. Most people in the real estate business already know these areas, with their larger parcels, are much more easy to develop, but many are also ruled by out-of-date, single-use zoning. One of the reasons Massachusetts has some of the country’s worst traffic is because suburbs have made a virtue of excluding even modest densification, driving many workers far away from job centers in order to find homes they can afford to buy or rent.  

Northland’s project need not be suis generis.  let’s hope planners and politicians everywhere take its lesson to heart.

To view full article, visit https://www.bankerandtradesman.com/could-newton-lead-the-way-in-the-suburbs/

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Boston Business Journal
March 4, 2020
By Catherine Carlock

The city of Newton on Tuesday voted to approve a 23-acre mixed-use project with 800 new residential units in Newton Upper Falls.

The Newton City Council had approved Newton-based Northland Investment Corp.’s project, planned on Needham and Oak streets, in a 17-7 vote in December. But the project faced opposition from a group called RightSize Newton, which said the project represented “excessive development” and lobbied for a for a ballot initiative for voters to decide the project’s fate.

Some 18,565 Newton voters voted to allow the project to move forward, about 58% of those who voted on that question. According to Newton’s unofficial election returns, 13,449 voted against the measure.

Larry Gottesdiener, chairman and CEO of Northland Investment Corp., celebrated the project’s approval on Tuesday evening.

“We worked with passionate local volunteers, community activists and city officials to form a coalition that championed the twin existential threats of our times — the need for affordable housing and climate change,” Gottesdiener said. “This is the future, a new paradigm, thoughtful developers, communities, and city leaders partnering to create a 21st century built environment that solves these and other pressing issues. Developers don’t win referendums, communities win referendums, and we are delighted that we could build this coalition together here in Newton.”

Northland has long proposed what it calls a “21st century green neighborhood” at its 23-acre site. The plan is to build 800 residential units, of which 140 would be defined affordable, as well as 180,000 square feet of office space and 115,000 square feet of retail space.
Greg Reibman, president of the Newton Needham Chamber of Commerce, said the approval of the ballot question delivered “a loud message that the city’s residents want to be a community that is more welcoming and part of the solution to the region’s housing crisis and climate change.”

“This proposal won’t just transform 24 acres into a vibrant, thoughtful, sustainable, amenity rich community. It will activate and energize Needham Street and beyond, bringing new businesses, new jobs, new tax revenue and vitality to our city,” Reibman’s statement said.
Critics had argued the development would prompt increased traffic in the neighborhood, and had successfully lobbied for the ballot initiative after the City Council’s approval of the project. But another civic organization — dubbed Yes for Newton’s Future — had organized in support of the project.

“Thank you to the thousands of Newton residents who voted in favor of bringing affordable housing, new open space, sustainable design, and smart growth to our city,” said Allison Sharma, chair of the Yes for Newton’s Future ballot campaign, in a statement. “The Northland Newton project is a huge win both for current residents and for future neighbors who will now have the opportunity to join our community.”

To view full article, visit https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2020/03/04/newton-voters-approve-800-unit-northland.html?iana=hpmvp_bost_news_headline

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NEWTON — After weeks of bitter debate, the city’s voters gave the go-ahead Tuesday to a plan to build hundreds of apartments and new commercial space in Newton Upper Falls.

The special municipal election, timed for Super Tuesday, asked voters whether they approved of Northland Investment Corp.’s mixed-use project at the corner of Needham and Oak streets.

According to the city clerk’s office, 18,565 voters backed a zoning change needed for the plan to move forward, while 13,449 cast ballots against the project.

Larry Gottesdiener, Northland’s chairman and chief executive, said in a statement to the Globe that the company worked with volunteers, community activists, and city officials to form a coalition that championed “the twin existential threats of our times” — the lack of affordable housing and climate change.

“This is the future, a new paradigm, thoughtful developers, communities, and city leaders partnering to create a 21st century built environment that solves these and other pressing issues,” Gottesdiener said. “Developers don’t win referendums, communities win referendums, and we are delighted that we could build this coalition together here in Newton.”

Northland is expected to begin demolition at the site later this year, with construction beginning in early 2021, according to a company spokeswoman.

In a statement, the Committee for Responsible Development, which worked to rally a “no” campaign against the development, attributed the vote’s outcome to misinformation funded by “Northland and its PR machine” and aided by many city councilors and Mayor Ruthanne Fuller.

The committee said “voters chose to allow a developer to reap huge profits from a massive development that could result in a traffic and parking nightmare, overwhelm local schools and cost the city millions of dollars a year more than new tax revenues.”

City Clerk David Olson said that turnout among Newton’s 61,083 registered voters appeared to be steady all day.

“Every place I visited today, the turnout was steady,” Olson said Tuesday afternoon. “It will be a better-than-usual” primary turnout.
The special election capped weeks of debate over development in Newton. Backers praised the Northland project for offering affordable housing and commercial opportunities that would increase the city’s tax base. Critics argued the development was too large and would only unleash more vehicles on streets that, at times, are already jammed with traffic.

That was one of the concerns Max Poritzky, 42, had about the project when he voted at the Waban Library Tuesday afternoon.
“I voted no. The traffic in that area is already awful, so I didn’t see any real proof as I read up on it that they gave it much thought,” Poritzky said.

Terrence Lyons, 60, said he supported Northland’s project after reading a lot about the development.

“I voted yes. I’m a believer in good solid development of land and cities in places like Newton, and I thought that they had a decent proposal,” Lyons said.

The Northland project will consist of 14 buildings on about 22 acres in proximity to Route 128 and the MBTA’s Newton Highlands Station. It will include 180,000 square feet of office space, 115,000 square feet of retail and community space, about 10 acres of open space, and 800 apartments, including 120 affordable units, according to the developer.
In December, the City Council approved Northland’s plan with a pair of 17-7 votes: one vote to approve a special permit, and the other to change the zoning so the development could be built. But debate over the project continued.

After the votes, opponents gathered thousands of signatures to put the project on the ballot as a voter referendum. The ballot question asked voters whether they approve the zoning change.
Supporters of the development — among them the city’s mayor and advocates for housing, business, and the environment — pointed to what they said are the economic benefits and the affordable apartments.

Northland also agreed to provide money for local projects, including funding to help improve an elementary school and pay for a shuttle service to the MBTA station and a traffic management plan.
“Northland meets so many of our needs, and matches so many of our values,” the mayor said.

But opponents said those measures would be inadequate, arguing that Northland’s project was too large, would create too much traffic, and didn’t include enough affordable housing.

Across the street from City Hall, Michelle Ocana, 47, said she voted “no” on Northland when she cast a ballot at the Newton Free Library.
The Newton Highlands resident said she often travels through the area of the project, and is concerned that Northland’s project could make traffic worse. She thinks that measures like a shuttle service aren’t enough, she said.

“There just needs to be more neighborhood input,” Ocana said. “No one is going to take a shuttle to sit in traffic.”

Donald Wright, 61, said he voted in favor of the Northland project because it includes affordable housing and open space. As housing costs increase in Newton, it’s important that the city has more housing that is affordable, he said. The project also combines a variety of uses in one place, he said.

“It creates a real, new hub of activity in the city,” Wright said.
At the Hyde Community Center Tuesday morning, voters who spoke to the Globe said they were aware of the Northland project before they headed to the polls.

Brandon Fong said he voted for the project, after almost voting against it.

“I think it’s unrealistic for people to think there won’t be growth in the city living so close to Boston,” Fong said. “It’s going to be more congestion but that’s what Newton is now, times change and the alternative would be a worsely vetted and planned development.”
Later in the day, Mike Hartman, 71, cast his vote against the project.
“I don’t think they provided enough information on what they were doing as far as traffic. I travel Needham Street quite a bit, and it’s a mess,” Hartman said.

Since the referendum effort began, the sides in the Northland debate organized around two ballot committees: Yes for Newton’s Future, which supports the project and has been funded by the developer, and the Committee for Responsible Development.

The opposition committee has also received assistance from a nonprofit critical of the scope of development in the city, RightSize Newton.

Allison Sharma, the chairwoman of Yes for Newton’s Future, thanked voters for supporting the project in a statement.

“The Northland Newton project is a huge win both for current residents and for future neighbors who will now have the opportunity to join our community,” Sharma said.

To view full article, visit: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/03/03/metro/newton-residents-vote-tuesday-northland-mixed-use-development/?s_campaign=newtonreport:newsletter

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