Good morning,

For more than a decade, we’ve been saying that Newton needs more than one person inside City Hall dedicated to supporting our businesses and attracting and retaining employers.

The job was always too big for one set of shoulders.

The opportunities are great. But so is the competition. The location is desirable. But so is the red tape and the cost of doing business.

This week, Mayor-elect Marc Laredo unveiled his economic development team, and we’re encouraged.

Under his plan, two full-time employees will be devoted to nurturing the city’s economy. Even better, both appointees come with deep connections to our business community and experience navigating City Hall.

• Lauren Berman — founder of All Over Newton, the hyper-local marketing platform that has tirelessly championed our smallest village-center businesses — will serve as economic development director.
  
  
• Cheryl Lappin — who served 18 years on the Newton City Council and brings three decades of private-sector experience in marketing, business analytics and related fields — will become deputy director.
  
  
• Both will work closely with one of Laredo’s other standout hires, incoming Chief of Staff Dana Hanson, who most recently was Rep. Jake Auchincloss’ district director but also served in the Fuller administration.

There was a time when Newton’s economy could coast on its well-off, well-educated demographics, charming villages, great schools and proximity to one of the nation’s best cities.

That time has long passed. Today, Newton and Greater Boston face complex challenges while competing with dozens of communities, regions and nations for employers, talent and investment.

We’re encouraged that the mayor-elect appears to recognize both the reality and the opportunity. We look forward to working with him and this new team to shape policies and programs that strengthen the city’s economic vibrancy.

Earlier this week, Laredo discussed his plans — and introduced his new team — in a meeting with chamber member restaurant owners.  Watch the recording here.

Social cannabis use gets the green light

Nearly a decade after voters legalized cannabis for recreational use, marijuana festivals, lounges and yoga studios may finally be heading to Massachusetts.

This week, the Cannabis Control Commission at last decided it was high time to roll out a long-delayed plan for three new on-site marijuana consumption license types, reports the BBJ’s Isabel Hart.

The timeline for the first businesses to open remains unclear, and individual municipalities and communities will need to opt in.

Commuter rail ridership keeps chugging along

A new study shows that the MBTA’s Commuter Rail has regained a larger share of riders than any other commuter rail system in the country.

Ridership is hovering around 90% of pre-pandemic levels, while most other major systems have topped out at about 70%, according to GBH’s Jeremy Siegel.

MassINC Policy Center and TransitMatters credit the rebound to changes that started in 2020, when the T reworked its schedules to better serve midday travelers and introduced new fare options.

Even with the strong comeback, there’s room to grow: The system could handle roughly 400,000 more riders every weekday,  a 400% increase over current levels, the study suggests.

Councilors to say see you later, alligator

Monday’s final Newton City Council meeting of the year should be fascinating.

Each of the councilors who are not returning next year – including five who’ve left an indelible imprint on the city:  Lenny Gentile, Andrea Downs, Bill Humphrey, Vicki Danberg and Rick Lipof – are expected to give farewell speeches.  

We’ve agreed and disagreed over the years, but we’re grateful to each of them for their service and for showing up, doing the work and helping shape the city.

Friday grab bag

• The Wellesley Select Board was scheduled to meet in executive session last night (Thursday) “to discuss strategy with respect to potential litigation with the Commonwealth regarding the disposition of surplus MassBay Community College land.” (See earlier newsletter.)
  
  
• Starting this weekend, three bus routes serving our communities will receive upgraded service under the MBTA’s Better Bus Project. Route 57 (Watertown Sq.- Newton Corner - Kenmore Sq.), Route 71 (Harvard Sq.- Watertown Sq.) and Route 73 ( Harvard Sq.- Waverley Station) will run every 15 minutes, or more, throughout most of the day.
  
  
• If you or your employees have questions or concerns about federal immigration policies and enforcement, I recommend watching the Immigration for Business webinar we hosted this week. Here are the presentation slides. Additional helpful information is here.
  
  
• A new seafood restaurant, Boxfish has opened on Mt. Auburn Street in Watertown. (Watertown News)
  
  
• When Dave Oberman repaired his first television set in 1962, “The Beverly Hillbillies” was the nation’s top-rated show.  Last month, Oberman closed his Needham Center repair shop Chromasonic TV after 45 years in business.   (Needham Observer)
  
  
• Watertown biotech start-up PsiThera has closed on $47.5M Series A funding. Located at 66 Galen St, the company is developing next-generation oral medicines for immune-related and inflammatory diseases. (Watertown Bio)
  
  
• Green Lady cannabis dispensary in Newton Centre is hosting Female-Led Holiday Pop-Ups today (Friday) and tomorrow, spotlighting two small businesses run by women in Newton,. (Newton Beacon)
  
  
• Discounted tickets are now available for our annual Winter Celebration on Jan. 14.  
  
  
• The Watertown City Council’s vote to consider adopting a Skip the Stuff ordinance was postponed to January.
  
  
• Although our Gift Card Give Back program ended just before Thanksgiving, Thistle & Leek continues to donate 25% of all gift card sales to the nonprofit Spoonfuls through the end of this year.

If you’re an official in Newton, Needham and Wellesley, you should know what Watertown just did

Last week — after only one hearing (yes, one) — Watertown’s Planning Board approved 40 new homes and two storefronts.

The project, proposed by Torrington Properties, will transform a vacant lot at 33 Mount Auburn St., at the heart of Watertown Square, into a five-and-a-half-story mixed-use development.

That single hearing was possible because Watertown recently rezoned much of the square under its MBTA Communities Act plan to allow “by-right” development. That meant no lengthy special permit process and no opportunity for boards or councils to unreasonably delay or condition a project, making the process predictable for both residents and developers.

The predictability is already paying off. The Watertown Square Area Plan has already attracted two additional proposals totaling more than 200 homes.

Unfortunately,  by-right zoning — or any zoning, for that matter — that seems to be working in Watertown doesn’t lead to quick approvals everywhere.

For example, as a spot-on Globe editorial reminded us this week, some municipalities will turn to overly restrictive site plan reviews “as an end run around their own zoning codes,” adding “time and expense to development.”

“It’s high time for the Legislature to tame that ghost by codifying site plan review into state law, putting reasonable limits on how long the reviews can take and what they can entail, and establishing an appeals process in cases of disputes. The goal should be to make sure communities are using site plan review only for legitimate, narrowly defined purposes,” the editors write.

Amen to that!

And that’s what you need to know for today, unless you need to know why we have two nostrils instead of one big hole.

RIP, to one of my all-time favorites, Raul Malo.

Calibri, we still love you.

See you next week.

Greg Reibman (he, him)

President & CEO

Charles River Regional Chamber

617.244.1688

Max Woolf contributed to today’s newsletter.