Good morning!

It was a thrill this week to stand in the middle of a hot, dusty Newton construction site and watch workers hoist the top beam onto what will be the first residential building at the Pattern District, the new name for Northland Development’s Needham Street project.

When it’s done, the 23-acre site will include 822 apartments (including 145 affordable units) and nearly 100,000 SF of retail and restaurants, all surrounding a 1.5-acre park, bike and pedestrian paths, 750 trees, water features and the already completed community splash pad.

It’s the largest multifamily housing project in Newton’s history, notes Catherine Carlock at the Globe.

It also has a storied history, shaped by community resistance. But ultimately, a coalition of housing and environmental activists, clergy and business and supportive city councilors joined together in support — a model for how we move forward on housing.

Northland spent two generations assembling the property, three years securing approval from the City Council and then survived a referendum that tried to halt it.

But Newton voters supported the project by a 16-point margin, a reminder that many more people welcome housing in their communities than the loudest voices would lead you to believe.

Our new neighbors will start calling it home in the fall of 2027, 11 years after the project was first presented. 

Explore the new Pattern District website to see how amazing this is going to be.

Devastating news for a nonprofit that helped generations

Family ACCESS of Newton, one of the first organizations in Massachusetts focused on early education, will permanently close on June 26, citing declining enrollment and rising costs.

This is more than a childcare center. It’s an institution that’s supported a wide array of needs for generations of children and families across many communities.

The nonprofit was founded in 1907 by a group of progressive women as a day nursery for children of domestic workers employed in the homes on West Newton Hill, notes Bruce Henderson at Fig City News. It served 10 children in its first year, nearly 300 the next and more than 5,000 clients by 2020.

The closure reflects pressures that have been building on early-childhood providers, particularly those reliant on government funding, Henderson added.

“There is simply no way forward that would allow our organization to continue to responsibly sustain our operations, particularly given the persistent economic pressures and shifting family preferences that have led to such a prolonged period of under-enrollment,” Board Chair Jim Rapoport and Executive Director Maisie Pollard wrote in a statement.

Family ACCESS staff will help families find new childcare providers.

Brookline nears pivitol Chestnut Hill decision

Brookline Town Meeting votes next Thursday on a years-in-planning upzoning in Chestnut Hill.

The proposal would allow City Realty’s large mixed-use development (lower left, in yellow on map) to move forward and also create opportunities for additional growth in the corridor.

While much of the spotlight has focused on City Realty’s proposal — projected to generate more than $5 million annually in new commercial tax revenue — a last-minute amendment could significantly weaken the broader rezoning plan.

The amendment would remove the area (inside the red circle) north of Route 9, near Hammond Street, just beyond the Star Market, from the rezoning, even though it is the most transit-oriented part of the neighborhood, steps from the Green Line.

The amendment narrowly passed the Advisory Committee, 12-10-2. The Select Board unanimously supports the full rezoning.

Amendment supporters say they want more time to revisit the parcel and retain more control over future development.

But rezoning all at once would help MassDOT, Brookline and Newton begin to plan for traffic holistically, rather than on a project-by-project basis. It would also send a clear signal that Brookline is serious about welcoming growth, rather than forcing projects through years of uncertain negotiations.

Friday grab bag

• Onyx Partners, the new owners of the former You-Do-It Electronics building in Needham, plans to fully renovate the 30,000 SF building.  But the commercial real estate investment and development firm is keeping the rooftop neon sign that’s been a landmark along Route 128/I-95 since the 1960s. (Needham Local)
  
  
• Lee Pelton, president and CEO of the Boston Foundation, is stepping down in August. He’s not only been one of Greater Boston’s leading voices for the poor, underserved and underrepresented communities, he got stuff done to make a difference.
  
  
• Some tiny homes were built in Wellesley recently.
  
  
• New Phil brings "Family Favorites" to Chestnut Hill on May 31, 3 p.m.,an afternoon of live music featuring Newton Public Schools students and teachers, Boston College soloists. Tickets.
  
  
• Jake Shahrooz, owner of the former Newton Centre restaurant Jake’s Falafel, is engaged in a legal battle with his insurance company.  Jake’s closed in 2025. (Newton Beacon)
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• Wellesley is switching its parking ticket system vendor. That won't change how shoppers pay, but Wellesley Police Lt. Michael Lemenager told the Select Board enforcement is ramping up: officers are spending more time on streets watching meters, checking turnover and ticketing side-street overstayers.  In other words, we’ve been warned. (Swellesley Report)
  
  
• Reporter Madhri Yehiya has joined the staff of the Newton Beacon.
  
  
• We're creating a directory of local restaurants, bars and hotels that are showing the FIFA World Cup 2026 games within the Charles River Regional Chamber footprint. Complete this form and we'll add your venue to our guide. If you have multiple locations,  submit a different form for each.

The BBJ spills Watertown’s secret

Finally, want to know how Watertown was able to transform hundreds of acres of industrial land, old railroad tracks, derelict industrial properties, empty warehouses and parking lots into the state’s third-largest hub for life science companies, behind only Cambridge and Boston?

Or how the city has never had to ask voters for a property tax override?

Municipal leaders across the state and the country sure do. Especially these days, as cities and towns struggle to increase revenue amid soaring expenses.

Hannah Baratham-Green lays it all out in a terrific BBJ cover story.

What was Watertown’s secret?

It’s not really a secret. 

It just took political willpower from a forward-thinking “refreshed” City Council, thoughtful planning, a willingness to speed up approvals and early-believing developers, investors and employers willing to get in, Green reports.

Green tells me her article was inspired by the chamber’s life sciences program we invited her to moderate in March, with data from this report from Watertown Bio.

Here’s the video from our event, courtesy of Watertown Cable Access TV.  Go here to subscribe to Watertown Bio’s newsletter.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend but also take time to remember those who’ve gave their lives in service.

RIP Barney Frank

There will be no newsletter on Tuesday.

Greg Reibman (he, him)

President & CEO

Charles River Regional Chamber

617.244.1688

I value your feedback

Max Woolf contributed to today’s newsletter.