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Business leaders to Needham: We need this

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Business leaders to Needham: We need this

The Red Sox are tied for first place. Let's enjoy it while we can.

Here's what else you need to know today.

Credit card settlement offers -- temporary -- relief for merchants 

One of the most frustrating – and growing – expenses for so many businesses are the so-called “swipe fees” they're charged every time any of us use a credit card.

This week, Visa and Mastercard agreed to cap those fees, as part of a class-action settlement some estimate could save tens of billions of dollars over the next five years.

Under the settlement, which is still subject to court approval, the companies agreed to roll back swipe fees by at least 4 basis points for at least three years. Visa and Mastercard also agree to not raise fees above their levels at the end of 2023 for the next five years.

And merchants will be permitted to let customers know why some cards — typically business cards and those with more rewards and perks — cost more than others, reports the New York Times.

But not all merchants, particularly smaller ones, are as optimistic about the proposed changes, including the fact that fees can roll back to those sky-high rates in a matter of years, the Times adds.

Trade group representing retailers, supermarkets, convenience stores, gas stations and online merchants are calling for more a more permanent fix in the form of bipartisan legislation that would create more options for merchants beyond the two industry heavyweights.

“The fact remains that these fees are an unfair business practice that harms merchants and consumers and benefits banks,” said Stephanie Martz of the National Retail Federation.

Business leaders to Needham: We need this 

A wide cross-section of Needham's business leaders spoke at a packed meeting at Town Hall last night, each saying more housing is needed in order for them to keep providing great customer service, attract and retain workers, and remain competitive. 
 
They all spoke in favor of the town’s “Neighborhood Housing Plan,” a proposal that unlocks more housing opportunities for young families, downsizing seniors and workers than is mandated under the state’s MBTA Communities Law.
 
Jay Spencer, owner of the beloved French Press Café, was the first to speak, saying some of his employees travel an hour, to an hour-and-a half, in each direction because they cannot find housing closer.
 
He said more customers in walking distance of Needham Center would enhance the viability of his and other independent merchants in a downtown that over the decades has lost so many small businesses.
 
Dan Goodman, CEO and founder of Building 36 Technologies, a Gould Street-based maker of smart home devices, said his company has also found it increasingly hard to find young talent, especially engineers.
 
And Paula Jacobson, executive director of the Charles River YMCA noted how much the Y has struggled to staff its child care, fitness and other programs. Not one of the Y's full-time employees lives in Needham.
 
In the night’s most dramatic moment, John Fogarty, president at the Beth Israel Deaconess Needham sounded the alarm, calling housing a “health care issue.”
 
“Adequate housing equals a sustainable workforce,” said Fogarty, adding that the crisis is hindering not just the BID, but all aspects of health care.
 
Also speaking up was Brian Phillips, president and CEO at BigBelly, who said “it is getting tougher and tougher to bring workers here” and Steve Volante from Volante Farms who said the housing problem “won’t be solved by kicking the can down the road.”
 
The business leaders were joined by dozens of other community members who also spoke for the need to address the housing shortage. That included two impressive Needham High School juniors who worried that they would never be able to afford to live in their hometown after college.

There was, naturally, opposition too 

Only one resident last night suggested Needham should not comply with MBTA Communities until after Milton’s challenge to the law is resolved.
 
But others said the same thing every NIMBY ever has said throughout history: I support housing. Just not this housing.

Then there were those who refused to believe a fiscal analysis finding Neighborhood Housing Plan would net $1.4 million annually in local tax revenue and would not strain the town's schools (Slides 24-30) because, well, we live in an era where facts don’t get the same respect they once did and everyone believes they're an expert.
 
And there was the fellow who actually said he moved to Needham one year ago because he loved the French Press Cafe. But now that he’s here, he doesn’t support adding too much density because it will make it harder for him to drive to the French Press Cafe.
 
No, I don’t think he realized just how selfish that sounded.
 
FAQ’s about the two different compliance scenarios under consideration can be found here. Other documents from last night’s presentation are here.

Friday grab bag 


  • Chamber member Jay Dobek and his team at Last Minute Productions has launched an intriguing new podcast series spotlighting the good work by area nonprofits. The first guest on “One Big Boat: We're all in this Together” is another chamber member, Anne Bader Martin of One Can Help. Watch it here

  • A new Vietnamese restaurant called Pho Station appears headed to the former CrepeBerry restaurant across from the Wellesley Hills commuter rail station. (Swellesley Report).

  • The Mass office of Travel and Tourism is looking for your ‘50 Under $50’ listings for July/August and September/October. Your offer must be valid for the entire two-month duration, under $50 and cover admission for two adults, or admission for two adults with two children aged 12 and under. Send submissions for consideration to Phyllis M. Cahaly.


  • Many Massachusetts real estate agents across the state are already altering how they interact with home buyers and sellers in the wake of the surprise settlement by the National Association of Realtors to over agent commissions lawsuits. (Banker & Tradesman)


  • The Watertown City Council is seeking individuals who live in, work in, or own property in Watertown to apply to serve on the Blue Ribbon Committee to examine the salaries of city councilors. Contact dnewton@watertown-ma.gov for details.

  • If you know of any business that could benefit from chamber membership, please invite them to join you at an upcoming event, or sign up for this newsletter. Better yet, fill out this form and when they join, we'll thank you with a $25 gift card to the restaurant member of your choice for each new member you've sent us.

I don't often engage in whataboutisms and yet whatabout... 

Needham's proposed ban on the the sale and distribution of water bottles came to mind when I read  this horrifying story in the NY Times (free link) this week. Please read it.

Here’s what the three candidates running for select board said Wednesday when I asked them about the bottle ban.

Road diet planned for Leo Birmingham 

The Leo Birmingham Parkway, not far from the Watertown line in Brighton, is about to undergo a road diet, with a smaller footprint and a new shared-use pathway.

Birmingham Parkway is currently a “pointless” four- to six-lane highway that runs parallel to three other highways along the banks of the Charles River, writes Christian MilNeil at StreetsBlog Mass.

The roadway currently has no sidewalks for most of its length. Its two existing crosswalks are at either end of the highway, a full kilometer apart from each other.

Under the Department of Conservation and Recreation plan, the highway's width would be cut in half, replacing a divided four-lane highway with a 30-foot-wide, two-lane city street, with a new 12-foot-wide shared-use path running parallel on the north side of the roadway.

What would you like for dinner? And dessert? 

Finally today, I have two questions for you:

First: What would you like to have for dinner?


Second: Now choose a dessert?


What if I told you that you enjoy them all (along with samples of more than 30 additional appetizers, entrees and desserts) at Spring Seasonings: A Taste of Our Towns., April 8 at the Newton Marriott Ballroom?

Working with the chamber’s Dining Collaborative, our team has assembled a delicious array of the best restaurants and beverage purveyors from Newton, Needham, Watertown and Wellesley. 

Proceeds support the chamber's advocacy and programming, including initiatives to support of our local restaurant scene.

That’s what you need to know for today (one year since journalist Evan Gershkovich was detained in Russia) unless you need to know what Punxsutawney Phil and his groundhog wife Phyllis are better at than predicting the arrival of spring.

See you next week.
 
Greg Reibman (he, him)
President & CEO
617.244.1688

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