A plan that would transform public transit on Newton's north side just took a big step forward.
Gov. Charlie Baker has included $85 million toward the reconstruction and expansion of the MBTA commuter rail stations in Auburndale, West Newton and Newtonville as part of his $1.7 billion supplemental budget.
The project would -- at long last -- add platforms to provide both inbound and outbound service, a situation that has created unacceptable swaths of hours without two-way train service in Newton.
The improvements would include elevators and accessible pathways to each platform.
Baker's $85 million is about half the estimated $170 million cost for the three new stations, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller wrote last night in her email newsletter.
The next step will be to work with Congressman Jake Auchincloss and the T to secure federal matching funds which, Fuller said, “matches well with funding opportunities in President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law recently passed by Congress, so we are optimistic.”
Fuller thanked Baker and credited state Rep. Kay Khan, Sen. Cindy Creem, Auchincloss and MBTA officials for their efforts getting the project to this point.
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Haynes puts office building portfolio for sale
A substantial portfolio of office buildings that are home to many of our chamber's members, has just gone on the market.
The buildings have long been owned and operated by Haynes Management. They're primarily in Wellesley, but also in Newton and Waltham.
Combined Haynes owns 36 buildings comprised of nearly one million square feet and over 450 tenants.
“People have been waiting a long time” for the properties to come available following the 2017 passing of namesake founder G. Arnold Haynes who in 1952 began to amass a self-managed suburban portfolio, writes Joe Clements at the Real Reporter.
No price is listed but "unofficial estimates... puts the likely value of The Haynes Collection in excess of $100 million and in some optimistic scenarios suggest it could soar past that nine-figure benchmark," adds Clements.
The properties are for sale through Newmark.
Yet another reason it’s so hard -- and expensive -- to find housing
Nearly 6,600 single-family homes across the state were purchased by limited liability companies, investors and other businesses for a combined $5.6 billion last year.
Most paid cash.
That's nearly one out of every ten single-family homes sold last year and double the rate of such purchases a decade ago, according to Jenifer B. McKim at the GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting
The trend is most prevalent in the state’s less affluent communities, such as Springfield where research shows that shell companies tend to be worse landlords than individual owners.
But McKim and her team found that business entities bought 20 percent of the single-family homes sold in Newton last year, a total of 168 properties.
“It is eating up the inventory, which is creating pressure for prices to go up,” said Melvin A. Vieira Jr., president of the Greater Boston Association of Realtors.
U.S. Senate turns back on restaurants
A months’ long push to help restaurant rebound from the pandemic has landed in the dumpster.
The U.S. Senate failed to replenish a program designed to provide relief to hundreds of thousands of restaurants (including many in our communities) that had qualified for grants before the Restaurant Revitalization Fund ran out of dough.
? The vote had majority support -- 52 to 43 in favor -- but needed 60 votes under Senate rules, writes Andy Medici for the BBJ.
The MBTA loses upward of $20 million a year from commuter rail fare evaders and an additional $6 million annually on subways and buses.
And once the T moves to an electronic payment system and all-door boarding, including along the Green Line in about two years, fare loses could become an even bigger concern, writes Christian Wade at the Eagle Tribune.
Under the regulationsproposed this week, T police would be authorized to issue non-criminal citations to riders caught not paying their fares or fraudulently misusing a reduced fare T card. There will be a remote public hearing on the proposal on June 1, at 6 p.m.
Need to goes
Enjoy a parade, pancakes, pooches, picnics, pyrotechnics and a whole lot of other fun things that don’t start with the letter "p," at Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend, this Saturday and Sunday (May 21- 22). Schedule.
Watertown’s second recreational marijuana shop -- Bud's Goods & Provisions -- opens today at the Water Mills at Bridge Point mixed-use development at 330 Pleasant St. (Watertown News).
Watertown’s first Pride Extravaganza happens Saturday, June 4. The free, all-ages event will feature live music, dancing, crafts, games and more.
WCVB kicks off social justice initiative
Needham’s WCVB Channel 5 (a chamber member) is marking its 50 year anniversary with the launch of the Fifty Years Fund in partnership with the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley.
The fund will “focus on what has clearly become the issue of our generation – systemic change in the areas of social and economic justice,” the station announced.
The campaign kicked off yesterday with a daylong telethon.
Harvey's Hardware still planning reopening
2022 hasn’t been kind to the Katz family, owners of Needham’s incomparable Harvey's Hardware.
Harvey’s and Phyllis’ sons, Jeff and Gary, took over the business when their dad retired. And in a Facebook post this week, they offered thanks to everyone who offered their condolences.
They also confirmed plans to re-open the store, just not as quickly as they hoped due to, no surprise, supply chain issues.
“All of our long-time employees that you all know and love (Mike O'D, Mike O'C, Dane, Steve and Walter) are still with us and are a key part of our reorganization efforts,” the statement said.
That's certainly welcome news for the family, their employees, customers and every other business in Needham Center, which hasn't felt the same since that February fire.
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That’s Need to Knows for today – National Bike to Work Day -- unless you need to know about the guy who caught two home runs in the same inning at Fenway Park this week.
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