On the same day that the full city council began debating zoning, the Healey-Driscoll Administration delivered a warning to Newton.

Failure to abide by the MBTA Communities Law could lead to the loss of millions in state grants, Housing Secretary Ed Augustus reminded Mayor Ruthanne Filler in a letter.

Augustus added that communities that allowed for housing beyond what's required under the law would receive preference when the administration chooses where to make "transportation investments."

Augustus' warning, of course, applies to any community developing its upzoning plan and competing for state funding. (Some communities, including Brookline, Arlington, and Lexington, have gone further than required. Others like Braintree) remain a mystery.

But it's especially relevant in Newton which has spent decades seeking funds to rebuild its three woefully inadequate commuter rail stations in Newtonville, West Newton, and Auburndale.

But while Newtonville and West Newton are part of the city's MBTA-compliant zoning plan, Auburndale is one of the villages some councilors want to remove from the plan.

Meanwhile, the three-station project has never been closer. The MBTA is investing millions to design three new, fully accessible, two-sided stations. And Fuller, the State House delegation, and Congressman Jake Auchincloss are collaborating to secure an estimated $200 million in state and federal dollars to fund construction.

Auchincloss told councilors in a letter that “more housing could help” generate the needed federal funds.

Reps. Kay Khan, and John Lawn and Mayor Ruthanne Fuller made the same plea.

“If Auburndale is not included in our updated zoning, we will run a high risk of not getting the funding support we need from the Healey-Driscoll Administration to rebuild the stations,” wrote Fuller.

What happens next

• CommonWealth Beacon story about Newton's election.
• Globe editorial about Brookline's vote.
• Six graphs that show how bad our housing market is right now.

Wellesley to launch DEI effort 

• Nonprofits can find an updated its list of available grants specific to Massachusetts, compiled by Mass Nonprofit News.

• Congratulations to Mike Wilcox, managing director of leasing at The Bulfinch Companies, the recipient of NAIOP Massachusetts’s 2023 President’s Award. The award will be presented at the annual meeting Nov. 28.

• Chocolate business ChocAllure is readying a move to Wellesley Square (Swellesley Report)

• Beginning next Friday (Nov. 24) through Jan. 1 parking meters in Needham will be free for up to two hours to encourage and accommodate holiday shopping. Needham also offers free two-hour parking year-round in the municipal downtown lots on Chapel St., Chestnut St., Lincoln St., and Dedham Ave.

• The Thanksgiving Holiday Market will be held on Tues. Nov. 21 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Allen Center in West Newton. The market features fourteen local businesses.

• The Mosesian Arts’ Holiday Makers Market will feature crafters, creatives, artists, and artisans from Watertown and around New England, on Nov. 25 and 26.

• Workers at Harvard Book Store’s Needham warehouse were sure something fishy was up when a pallet of boxes marked “FROZEN FISH” and “HADDOCK” showed up on their loading dock. Turns out there were books inside, reports the Globe’s “Spencer Buell.

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