Good morning friends,

The Google alert I set up months ago for “Milton” blew up yesterday as we watch, and worry, about the potent Category 4 hurricane barreling directly towards Tampa.

Of course, I’d set it up to follow developments in Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s suit against the Town of Milton for non-compliance of the MBTA Communities Law.

Oral arguments were heard by the Supreme Judicial Court yesterday.

Here’s coverage from CommonWealth Beacon and the BBJ. Or watch the justices interrupt each other here.

It could be weeks — perhaps months — before the SJC rules on that particular tempest.

The other Milton should make landfall late tomorrow.

Who said the lab market is dead?

Watertown’s vision to add multi-family housing and reconfigure Watertown Square’s streetscape — making it more walkable and connected to the Charles River — is even more enticing now that two lab tenants are poised to move into 66 Galen Street.

Serial life science entrepreneur and venture capitalist Greg Verdine just inked deals to bring two of his startups to two floors of the joint Davis Companies and Boston Development Group project.

It’s the region’s largest lease deal for newly built lab space so far this year, writes Jon Chesto at the Globe.

Verdine’s LifeMine Therapeutics will move into the fourth floor next August. A second, still-unnamed Verdine biotech will occupy floor three next October.

Together they’ll occupy more than more than half of the 224,000-square-foot building (yes, that’s the place where we held our fabulous Winter Celebration earlier this year) with Davis and BDG holding permits to build a second building next door.

Meanwhile:  

• Even though they’ve backed away from other projects, Alexandria Real Estate Equities is moving forward with plans to redevelop the Watertown Mall with labs, housing and retail.
  
  
• Boylston Properties has submitted pre-application plans with the city for a new 175,000 SF lab building in the Home Depot parking lot.
  
  
• And Watertown isn’t just attracting labs:  The soft drink brand Culture Pop Soda announced last week its leasing 6,000 square feet of space at 64 Pleasant Street, also just outside of the square, while clean tech startup Via Separations signed a lease there for more than 50,000 square feet last year in the same building.

Duncan Gilkey, a senior VP at Davis, told Chesto that prospective tenants like the fact that there are so many small businesses within walking distance of 66 Galen.

That’s good news for the independent restaurants and shops that will be hungry for customers in walking distance during the inevitable disruptions during the square’s redevelopment.    

Fuller’s a ‘no’ on Question 5

Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller tells the chamber she plans on voting “no” on Ballot Question 5, the referendum that seeks to phase out the tipped wage for workers whose income comes primarily from tips.

“I’ve heard directly from Newton’s servers, bartenders, and restauranteurs,” Fuller said. “They know that restaurants will close and/or people will be laid off if costs skyrocket by $18,000 a year per server if this ballot measure passes. Plus, many front-of-houseworkers would actually take home less in earnings if this passes.

“Support our amazing Newton restaurants by voting ‘No’ on Question 5,” she adds.

Meanwhile, two respected Newton restauranteurs  – Kate Smith of Thistle & Leek and Karl O’Hara from O’Hara’s Food & Spirits and Paddy’s — told WCVB why they support, or oppose, Question 5 respectively.

The chamber’s view is here. and the Globe asked the people behind the scenes at restaurants what they think.

Tuesday’s grab bag

• We’re not immune from the weather events hammering other parts of the country. The SBA Disaster Recovery Division and Jessie Dillon are hosting a webinar on Tuesday(Oct. 15) at 11 a.m. on real estate investment, small business ownership and disaster funding. RSVP
  
  
• Uncle Sam is once again making available free COVID-19 tests.
  
  
• The Newton Food Pantry’s Community Table, Oct. 17, 6 p.m. at the Windsor Club, features food from Newton restaurants, live music and a silent auction.
  
  
• Join Dedham Savings for a renovation celebration at the Needham Center office on Oct. 19.
  
  
• Four Seasons Cafe is now open on North Beacon Street in Watertown, moving into the former Watertown Diner/Victor's Diner space. (Boston Restaurant Talk)
• J.P. Licks is selling limited edition "Udder" stickers throughout October in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Proceeds benefit the Ellie Fund's work with breast cancer patients. Purchase in-store or online.
  
  
• The state says Newton is “conditionally compliant” with MBTA Communities Act (Newton Beacon)
• Joe Daniele, a distribution technician at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, recently celebrated his 50th work anniversary.  He began at the hospital in 1974 and was honored with a special luncheon to commemorate his five decades of service.
  
  
• Eastern Bank Foundation awarded Jackie Jenkins-Scott the 2024 Social Justice Award for her decades of advocacy for racial and economic equity and community impact in Boston and beyond.
  
  
• The early bird discount for our Fall Business Breakfast ends today.

Hotel, 500+ homes, proposed across the street from The Street

City Realty has unveiled a concept for the 5.3 acre  half-vacant property at 1280-1330 Boylston Street on the Brookline side of Route 9 in Chestnut Hill, the Brookline News reports.

The 1.2 million SF  plan includes three tall buildings around a “mini town center” filled with greenspace, seating and a water feature. 

The tallest, at 20 stories, would have a 200- to 250-roomhotel on the first six floors, including a large events space, spa and restaurants, with condos occupying the remaining space.

A second 12-story building would have retail space on the first two floors and apartments above. A 13-floor would combine a multi-floor internal shopping atrium, medical offices and senior housing.

The project is part of a larger effort in Brookline to rezone the land across the street from The Street.

Watertown adopts new tool to collect fees and fines

The City of Watertown can now attach liens to properties for unpaid fees, fines and tickets, reports the Watertown News.

The new regulation applies to placing snow and ice on public ways, noise regulations, stormwater regulations, single-use plastic bags, building regulations, historic district ordinance, demolition of historic buildings ordinance, wetlands violations, zoning code, state sanitary code, state dog laws, state building code, and court fines and fees.

Parking tickets are not included but the Registry of Motor Vehicles enforces nonpayment connected to license and motor vehicle registration renewals.

Newton resident wins Nobel Prize

Finally this morning, congratulations to Newton Centre resident Gary Ruvkun who was a co-winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize for Medicine yesterday for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation.

Jack Prior of Fig City News dropped by the Ruvkun house to find out what the heck post-transcriptional gene regulation is.

And that’s what you need to know for today unless you need to know the difference between graveyards and cemeteries.

Be back Friday. Go Bruins.

Greg Reibman (he, him)

President & CEO

Charles River Regional Chamber

617.244.1688