Good Morning,

Do municipal rules, regulations and fees play a role when a business chooses a location?

You betcha.

Consider Mighty Squirrel’s decision when it was looking for a home for its Biergarten at Gore Place.

The sprawling 50-acre country estate spans Waltham and Watertown, giving the local brewer behind Cloud Candy a choice between the two municipalities.

“Although both municipalities offer one-day licenses, their fees differ significantly. Waltham charges $250 for a one-day alcohol license, while Watertown charges $50,” reports Allie Ladjeva at the Waltham Times.

They picked Watertown.

It’s not only about fees. Reputations matter. So do permitting timelines, communication and how friendly/helpful the folks are at city or town hall.

When one municipality gains a business over another, the decision can affect both local tax revenue and a community’s reputation among other business decision-makers.

We’ll be celebrating Watertown Night at the Biergarten on Aug. 27. Admission is free; food and drink are available for purchase.  RSVP. 

Join us for a housing town hall for young professionals

If you’re a young professional (21-40) wondering whether you’ll ever be able to afford a home in Greater Boston, you’re not alone.

Join the Charles River Chamber’s Young Professionals Group this coming Wednesday (Aug. 5) at noon for a Town Hall with Congressman Jake Auchincloss and housing policy researcher Andrew Mikula on why housing has become so unaffordable—and what can be done to make homeownership more attainable.

And if you’re past the “young professional” stage, please invite a younger colleague, employee, client or family member who should be part of the conversation.

The free event will be held near the Newton-Needham line, with the exact location provided upon registration.

And for those of us lucky enough to own a home …

Have you considered possibly adding an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) to your residential property?

Start by checking out this super fun ADU Wizard. Plug in your address. It'll show you if an ADU is possible and where you could situate it.

Then explore a program launched just days ago by the Healey-Driscoll administration designed to help homeowners go further — costs, permitting, utilities, design, all of it.  

Here's where to go from there:

• Visit the Massachusetts ADU Resource Center to learn what to expect, including budget, timeline, permitting and use the ADU Wizard to see what may fit on your lot.
• Move forward with a professional feasibility study. The ADU Incentive Program pays $500 directly to professional feasibility study providers.  In return, providers have agreed not to charge property owners more than $500 for feasibility studies.
•  An incentive of up to $25,000 is available through Mass Save's single family new construction program.
•  Homeowners may also qualify for the ADU Loan Program for attractive financing of up to $250,000.  In Middlesex and Norfolk Counties households with incomes below $209,250 may apply.

Small, energy-efficient ADUs won't solve our housing shortage alone. But they're one more tool.  And the state has committed $10 million over two years to support statewide ADU work. Might as well take advantage of it while you can.

Friday grab bag

• In addition to plans to create rotating pop-up retail shops inside its forthcoming  Wellesley and Needham branches, The Village Bank told Newtonville business owners this week that it will introduce the same innovative concept in their village, again in partnership with UpNext’s Project Pop Up.
  
  
• The Washington Post reports (gift link) that the Department of Homeland Security and federal courts disagree over whether or not Haitian TPS work authorizations legally ended on Monday.   
  
  
• Newton City Councilor and state rep candidate Alison Leary has published an apology for comments she made during last week’s chamber debate with incumbent Rep. John Lawn, reports Fig City News.  Leary told NBC10 on Sunday she would only be reaching out directly to the people who contacted her on social media expressing their concern.
  
  
• WBUR visits Brookline’s hidden jazz club, where both the music and snacks are free.  
  
  
• Panera Bread is moving its headquarters from St. Louis to Weston in July 2027 and, in the process, leaving its test kitchen and office space in West Newton, which it has occupied since 2022.
• 
  
• Theo Younkin at Fig City News has more details about Beacon Communities' plans to purchase the former Santander Bank property in West Newton from Mark Development for $9.75 million. Beacon will convert the building and the parking lot into retail space and 72 affordable apartments.
  
  
• The organization long known as NAIOP Massachusetts is now CREDA Massachusetts: The Commercial Real Estate Development Association.
  
  
• The state Senate on Thursday approved an amendment proposed by Needham Sen. Rebecca Rausch that would protect journalists from being forced to reveal their confidential sources. (Globe)
  
  
• Rani Mahal, a new Indian and Nepalese restaurant on Grove St. in Wellesley, opened for takeout and delivery. (Swellesley Report)
  
  
• The Biltmore Tavern in Newton Upper Falls reopened Monday after a five-month renovation under new owners Scott Drago and Adam Patti (who also run Blue on Highland in Needham). (Newton Beacon)
  
  
• A new bridge opens tomorrow (Sat.) on westbound side of the Mass. Pike on Newton-Weston line. (Globe)
  
  
• Wondering what all that rain has meant to our favorite river? Check out the Charles River water gauge in Waltham.
  
  
• Half of the state’s nursing homes are understaffed, although most nonprofit facilities are in compliance. (New Bedford Light)  

Norwood fix could help here too

Back in June 2020, a freak storm dumped nearly 6 inches of rain on Norwood in a few hours. Norwood Hospital lost power, forced the evacuation of about 90 patients and never reopened.

The damage was so bad the 215-bed hospital had to be razed.

The region’s medical system has felt it ever since, particularly at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham, where annual ER visits nearly doubled, from 14,000 to 28,000, and overall demand spiked by upwards of 40%.

Plans to rebuild stalled when Steward Health Care, Norwood's owner at the time, went bankrupt. A private deal with Mass General Brigham also fell apart.

Now there's real movement: the Legislature just passed a bill letting the state seize the property by eminent domain and hand it to a nonprofit hospital operator. It should be headed to Gov. Healey's desk soon.

We’re crowdsourcing for our next big event speaker

Finally, thanks to everyone who responded to my email yesterday, seeking an outstanding speaker at our Nov. 13 Fall Business Breakfast at the Newton Marriott.

I received many great suggestions.  Keep them coming.

Our ideal speaker will have a connection to our region, the business or nonprofit community, a timely issue or business challenge—and can make us laugh, think and/or feel inspired.  Even better if you can make a direct introduction. (In other words, don’t just suggest Michelle Obama; tell me you have her on speed dial.)

That’s what you need to know for today — System Admin Appreciation Day — unless you need to know that there’s sugar in the Milky Way — no, not the candy bar.

See you in (yikes) August.  Please shop local.

Greg Reibman (he, him)

President & CEO

Charles River Regional Chamber

617.244.1688

I value your feedback

Looking for an earlier edition? Archive here