Concerned about how a proposed 234-unit multi-family development in Nonantum would impact traffic, parking, and affordability in the city, dozens of people showed up to speak at the January 28 Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) meeting.
Adam Lunin, a Newton resident who lives near the proposed project, said he is not against development but has concerns about the proposed project’s size.
“There’s a right way to do this, and this is not the right way,” Lunin said. “It’s way too big, it doesn’t fit the neighborhood.”
If approved, the project would transform 2.66 acres at 38 Crafts Street into a six-story apartment building to be called Alta Newton. The proposal includes a six-story parking deck located in the center of the property and 59 affordable units priced at 80% of the local Area Median Income (AMI).
Traffic conditions at the intersection of Crafts Street and Washington Street are expected to degrade to a service level of “F” with the introduction of the project, with surrounding streets expecting similar increases in traffic congestion, according to Jason Plourde, an engineer from BETA Group, the Boston-based engineering consultancy firm that is the transportation peer review group for the project.
The project’s applicant – WP East Acquisitions, LLC, affiliated with Wood Partners LLC, an Atlanta-based development group – said that while changes have not yet been implemented in response to peer reviews, the developer is considering modifications such as a “do-not-block box” at the site driveway near the intersection of Crafts Street and Washington Street. This information was conveyed at the meeting by Randy Hart, principal of VHB Transportation, the project’s transportation consultant.
Many community members who came to the meeting to speak about the proposal said they wanted additional opportunities to voice concerns and ask questions about the proposed development. Michael Rossi, chairperson of the ZBA, encouraged members of the public to submit written comments for the board to review.
Several ZBA members pushed for greater levels of affordability in the proposed plans and said they were concerned about the project’s potential impact on nearby residents.
“I haven’t seen a proposal that has such a tight perimeter right up against all these neighbors,” Jennifer Pucci, board member of the Newton ZBA, said. “I’ve asked the applicant to think about that and do quite a bit of work to improve how this integrates into the neighborhood.”
This is the second proposal for a development on the 38 Crafts Street site, and it is separate from a development proposed by another developer for 78 Crafts Street nearby. The City of Newton had granted approval in November 2022 for the site to be turned into an elder housing facility, but that project has since halted. Applicants for the current proposal, Alta Newton, are applying for a Comprehensive Permit under Chapter 40B, which streamlines the local zoning approval process for projects that have at least 20-25% of units restricted only to households with incomes under 80% of AMI. The ZBA has discussed this new proposal at two of its meetings to date but has yet to vote on it.
City Councilor Susan Albright, a member of Newton’s Zoning and Planning Committee, said she preferred the previous plans of the now-discontinued senior living facility. However, she thinks the proposed development could play a key role in addressing the need for more housing in the region, if there were some changes to the architecture and site plan.
Albert “Al” Cecchinelli, a former Newton mayoral candidate and longtime resident of the neighborhood surrounding the proposed development, said he is concerned about the project’s current affordability goals and projected impact on traffic and infrastructure in his neighborhood.
“None of this housing is going to be low income,” Cecchinelli said. “80% of the median income in Newton is about $100,000 — and $100,000 isn’t low-income housing.”
ZBA member Brooke Lipsitt suggested the introduction of some units priced at 50% of the Area Median Income to align more closely with the ZBA’s goals for affordability.
Wood Partners LLC staff and leadership – including their Boston offices, managing directors Jim Lambert and Mark Theriault, and their attorney, Stephen Buchbinder – did not respond to requests for interviews.
Teresa “Terry” Sauro, chairperson of the Nonantum Neighborhood Association, told the ZBA she thinks the project could be “workable” if more lines of communication were opened for local residents to reach City officials and the project’s applicants.
At a January 8 site visit with dozens of residents in attendance, participants were denied the opportunity to speak or ask questions about the project, according to an email Sauro sent to officials and members of the Nonantum community on January 29.
According to the statement, members of the ZBA and planning department leadership refused requests to stay and listen when the project’s developer offered attending residents the opportunity to voice their concerns.
“At the site visit, it felt like we were children,” Sauro said. “Mr. Rossi said this is not for the neighborhood, even though 50 people were there.”
Sauro requested that the ZBA and Planning Department hold community meetings for residents to discuss the project, according to the email.
“They’re not hearing us, they’re developing what they want,” Sauro said. “Maybe that might be their vision, but that’s not our neighborhood vision.”
Luke Wise is a junior at Boston University majoring in Journalism, writing for Fig City News as part of his studies.
