Good Morning,

Max Woolf here.

The redevelopment of Riverside station is heading back to the Newton City Council — again.

Less than a year after Mark Development won approval for the latest overhaul of its massive project at the end of the Green Line, CEO Robert Korff is back seeking another round of changes.

If you’re keeping score at home, this would be Riverside 5.0.

This time, the revisions are focused on senior housing, with plans to redesign two of the project’s six residential buildings to accommodate continuing care and memory care services, while also shrinking the underground garage to reflect lower parking needs.

It’s frustrating to see a development that has already gone through so many exciting iterations continue to struggle to get off the ground.

But Korff’s latest revision is relatively modest compared with the major changes the project has undergone before, including the elimination of 450,000 square feet of planned lab and office space in 2024.

There’s another reason for more optimism this go-around: Mark Development is bringing on two new partners. Greystar Development and Texas-based Harbert will both be joining the project, each taking roughly a one-third stake in its development.

The addition of two national development partners should give Riverside more financial and technical backing as it moves toward construction.

Mark Development hopes to return to the City Council in October and secure approval soon after.

City Realty project gets moving in Chestnut Hill 

Meanwhile, up the Green Line from Riverside, Brookline’s recently greenlit mega-development in Chestnut Hill is moving.

This week, City Realty’s three-building mixed-use campus will have its first permitting meeting before the town’s Planning Board. The broader proposal includes two 12-story buildings and one seven-story building with 266 units of housing, medical office and retail space.

Town Meeting overwhelmingly approved the project’s zoning in May, hopeful that its potential tax revenue could help ease the town’s perpetual cycle of overrides.

Now, only a few months later, the project is beginning the permitting process. Thursday night, the Planning Board is expected to appoint a Design Advisory Team to help review and shape the development. 

The project still has its skeptics and a long road ahead, but it is encouraging to see the new zoning already producing movement.

What should we ask Brownsberger and Lander? 

The race between State Sen. Will Brownsberger and challenger and former Michelle Wu aide Daniel Lander has attracted no shortage of attention.

The Boston Globe has devoted multiple editions of its political newsletter to the contest, while local news sites in Cambridge, Belmont, Fenway, Allston-Brighton, and Watertown have each highlighted their communities’ unique local perspective on the race.

Now it's our local businesses' turn. This Thurs. Aug. 20 at 1 p.m., we will host Brownsberger and Lander for their first debate focused squarely on business and economic development.

We’re still shaping the questions and want to know what topics you want us to ask both candidates about.

Register for the virtual event here.

Tuesday grab bag

• Kevin Rideout, an American missionary and 1995 Wellesley High School grad, has been released after being kidnapped in Niger and held in captivity since last October. (Swellesely Report)

  
  

• The Newton Highlands Neighborhood Area Council is urging the MBTA to rethink its accessibility plan for Newton Highlands station. Among the concerns raised are planned canopies over new ramps, which some say could detract from the station’s historic character. We’re not especially worried about that tradeoff if the canopies help keep an ADA ramp clear of snow, ice and rain. (Fig City News)
  
  

• Kings Bowling in Dedham is hosting its Holiday Showcase featuring a holiday menu, festive cocktails, bowling, and event spaces on Aug. 27 from 5-7 pm.
  
  

• Tonight after work, stop by the Chamber’s after-hours for a drink and some networking at DOCA in Brookline Village. Register
  
  

• Brookline can claim a little piece of baseball history. Joshua Báez, who attended Dexter Southfield, a private school in the south of town, became the first player in modern MLB history to hit three home runs in his major-league debut. (CBS News)
  
  

• Cradles to Crayons is hosting its community-wide Wellesley Clothing and Shoe Drive from Oct. 12 to Nov. 6 and is seeking to partner with organizations across Wellesley to collect clothing and shoes for children in need. Email masker@cradlestocrayons.org for info.
  
  

• Fig City News’ Alan Spatrick profiled both State Rep. John Lawn and Newton City Councilor Allison Leary. The two will face off in the Sept. 1 Democratic primary for the 11th Middlesex.
  
  

• IMPACTO , our chamber’s networking group supporting Latino professionals and leaders, is hosting a morning coffee on Thurs. Aug. 27 (8:30–10 a.m.) at Tree Stone Kitchen Studio in Newton. It’s open to all members, not just Latino professionals from across the region.
  
  

• Tonight, Tuesday, Aug. 18, from 6- 9 p.m., Arsenal Yards in Watertown will host a Trivia Pub Crawl. Ticket proceeds benefit the Watertown Food Pantry.
  
  

• The Wellesley Select Board will hold another executive session over its ongoing litigation to protect a parking lot from housing development at MassBay Community College.
  
  

• Meanwhile, at a different parking lot, Sam Mintz of Brookline.News explores how different groups of residents are approaching negotiations over the impending rezoning of a private parking lot in Coolidge Corner for multifamily housing. (Brookline.News)

The T is getting cheaper this fall 

This fall, the MBTA is piloting several programs to make riding the T cheaper and a little easier.

The most prominent change is a new “unlimited two-hour transfer window”. 

Starting Sept. 1, riders can make practically unlimited bus, subway and ferry transfers within two hours while paying only once. That means you could stop for coffee, pick up lunch, run an errand and then get back on the T while paying only one fare. (Just remember to use the same payment method)

The change should make transferring between buses and the subway more attractive and could ease commuting costs for workers who rely on multiple modes to get to work. 

Also, beginning Sept. 1, the T is eliminating its higher express bus fare, dropping the price from $4.25 to the regular $1.70. That includes two routes that use the Pike to get into Boston: the 504 from Watertown through Newton Corner and the 505 from Waltham through West Newton.

Finally, later this fall, Massachusetts residents age 75 and older who no longer have a driver’s license will be eligible to ride all MBTA services for free. 

A call for artists along our favorite river 

A new regional art exhibit is inviting artists to tell the story of the Charles River — all 80 miles of it.

A Charles River Journey: 80 Artists, 80 Miles, organized by the Wellesley Society of Artists and Dedham Art Association, will be hosted at the Mosesian Center for the Arts in Watertown for several months starting in January.

Needless to say, this was an easy partnership for us to get behind.

The juried exhibit will feature 80 regional artists capturing the river’s landscapes, wildlife, communities and history through a range of mediums. The winners will receive a cash prize.

Right now, organizers are looking for artists across New England, with submissions due Sun. Nov. 1. Learn more and submit your work.

That’s what you need to know, unless you need to know that 33 years ago today, former Brookline resident Larry Legend retired.

Max Woolf (he, him)

Public Policy and Government Affairs Manager

Charles River Regional Chamber

617-431-6101

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