Good morning friends,

I was pleased to learn the other day that the Newton City Council’s Zoning & Planning Committee is planning a “discussion”  tomorrow (July 9) at 7 p.m., looking at the challenges facing the office market and strategies to recruit new commercial office tenants to Newton.

After all, the collapse of the office market and the ability to attract and retain good jobs and companies is of paramount importance to the chamber, our business community and Newton’s economic well-being and future.

So, yes, this is important.

However, I wasn’t happy when the committee chair informed me that the chamber wasn't invited to participate in this timely conversation.

No property owners are scheduled to participate in this alleged “discussion ” either.

“We will not entertain public comment at this meeting though we welcome your attendance,” Committee Chair Lisle Baker wrote in response to my request to participate.

“If you have specific issues you would like considered please feel free to write the Committee or communicate with the Planning Department which is organizing the discussion for us. If we get to specific zoning amendments to consider you will of course have an opportunity to be heard at the Public Hearing,” Baker added.

As I explained to Baker in a follow-up email, that’s unacceptable.

Submitting written comments is no substitute for engaging in dialogue with the committee.

Nor does it provide an opportunity to respond to councilors’ questions and/or comments, or to suggestions the Planning Department may offer, which we may or may not agree with. 

Waiting until specific zoning amendments are drafted is counterproductive if they’re being written without first understanding the problem.

It’s akin to having a doctor diagnose a medical condition and prescribe a remedy without allowing the patient to weigh in.

The fact that the committee declines to hear directly from the business community on a matter where businesses are the subject matter experts leads us to conclude that the council is not sincerely interested in finding ways to enhance the city’s economic competitiveness; it only wants to engage in a charade.

If you share the view that city councilors should listen to the business community before drafting regulations, not after, please send the council an email.  

Tell them you are disappointed with Chair Baker’s decision to exclude representatives of the business community.

And please cc me: greibman@charlesriverchamber.com.

Newton Beacon story here.

… Meanwhile, Watertown lures Cambridge biotech

One lesson the Newton City Council’s Zoning & Planning Committee could learn from, if they were open to listening, is how Watertown has expanded its commercial tax base by being welcoming to commercial development and adding housing for the employees it aims to attract and to grow tax revenue.

Next week, Cambridge biotech Foghorn Therapeutics and its 112 employees are moving from Kendall Square to a new HQ in Watertown.

Foghorn is leasing 72,850 SF at 99 Coolidge Ave., the National Development and Alexandria Real Estate Equities joint development at the site of the former Mount Auburn Club.

“We are very excited about this move and for most of our employees, the commute will be shorter,”  Karin Hellsvik, Foghorn’s VP of corporate affairs, tells the BBJ’s Hannah Green.

“Additionally, we are committed to utilizing our resources in the most effective way, and the move will deliver significant near-term cost-savings on real estate rent.”

Happy hour won’t make most restaurateurs happy

The proposal that won’t go away — repealing Massachusetts' happy hour ban — is back again for its annual Beacon Hill discussion.

And once again, most restaurants still don’t want it.

The idea’s chief champion, Sen. Julian Cyr, who represents part of Cape Cod, said allowing cities and towns to discount drinks during specific hours can boost profits for restaurants and bars that are “struggling in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic," reports State House News’ Alison Kuznitz (via NBC10).

But it’s precisely because restaurants are struggling — grappling with "razor-thin margins" exacerbated by inflation and steep credit card processing fees — that the Massachusetts Restaurant Association and our chamber oppose happy hour.

"If happy hour were allowed in desperation to gain market share, lower-performing operators will discount more and more. The more they give away, the deeper the financial trouble -- the deeper the financial trouble, the more they will need to give away," said Jessica Moore, MRA's director of government affairs.

Tuesday grab bag

• I highly recommend watching this excellent housing webinar from the Pioneer Institute.
• Watertown officials are proposing to raise water and sewer rates by 3.5%. Tonight, the city council will hold a public hearing and vote on the increase.
• We’ve extended the deadline to submit nominations for our annual Needham Night Business Awards until tomorrow (July 9).  Early bird discounted tickets for Needham Night (Aug. 6 at a new location) will go on sale shortly.
• Luke Schuster at Boston Indicators explores one of the tools some cities and states are using to make housing more affordable by updating building code requirements related to staircases.
• Applications are now available for six affordable condominiums in Wellesley. Apply by Sept. 5. Zoom information session is July 30.
• Brookline’s community fridge has the coolest name.
• Head to Wellesley July 19 for the July Jubilation Sidewalk Sale 2025. Enjoy a Wellesley tradition with amazing savings, entertainment, live demonstrations and performances.
• The Waltham News’ David Korzeniowski has the latest on Waltham-based Global Partners’ objections to losing out on a MassDOT Mass Pike contract. Next year, Global is moving to Newton.
• Darryl Settles and his family’s casino night event last month in memory of Preston Settles, who died at 15 of sudden cardiac arrest, raised $880,000, adding to the $1 million already raised to combat hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, (BBJ).
• The West Suburban YMCA is offering Free Summer Saturdays in July and August, with complimentary access to both Newton branches from 7 a.m.–7 p.m., including pools, fitness classes, and family activities.  
• Beacon Hill lawmakers are considering a bill that would designate bar pizza as the official pizza of the Commonwealth.

All revved up in Needham

When “F1: The Movie” scored big at the box office this weekend, they were cheering in Hollywood but also on A Street in Needham.

That’s because the Needham-based SharkNinja bet big on the Brad Pitt race car movie, serving as a key sponsor of Pitt’s fictional APXGP racing team.

The SharkNinja logo is displayed on uniforms, helmets and cars. Some of its products make brief cameos in the film, reports the Globe’s Jon Chesto.

The company even screened the film for employees at Legacy Place in Dedham, while seven actual SharkNinja products are inspired by the film’s black and gold race car design.

“We’re a company that thrives on high performance, innovation, and disruptive thinking,” said SharkNinja CEO Mark Barrocas. “F1 is the ultimate symbol of pushing boundaries, so this collaboration was a natural extension of our values.”

Don’t log on there, until you read this

Finally, today marks the start of Amazon Prime Days, and we have one request:

Resist the urge.

Sure, there are some good deals to be had, although they’re not always as good as the public has been led to believe. (In addition, some of the independent businesses responsible for more than 60% of Amazon’s retail sales are expected to sit out Prime Day this year to preserve their inventory and profit margins due to tariff uncertainty, according to AP.)

Undisputed is the harm Amazon has done to our local merchants, our small downtowns and the businesses whose products you’d be better off buying directly from their website if you can’t find it locally.

Before you shop there, consider shopping here.

Also: Review (and share) the Hierarchy of Shopping with family and friends.

And note, the Massachusetts sales tax holiday for 2025 is just a few weeks away: Aug. 9 and 10.

On behalf of all our independent retailers and local property tax-paying businesses, thank you for keeping your dollars local.

And that’s what you need to know for today, unless you need to know what makes someone cool.

Be back Friday.

Greg Reibman (he, him)

President & CEO

Charles River Regional Chamber

617.244.1688

Max Woolf contributed to today’s newsletter.

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