The loudest applause at Wednesday’s meeting to introduce potential redesigns of Great Plain Ave. in Needham’s downtown wasn’t for any of the three options vetted for months by a town-appointed committee.

Instead, the biggest cheers came when an attendee shouted, “Do nothing!”

But doing nothing, DPW Director Carys Lustig said, isn’t an option.

Great Plain Ave. needs to be torn up to fix serious stormwater problems, work that would also trigger accessibility and safety requirements. So if the street has to be dug up anyway, it’s prudent to stop and ask: What should it look like when it’s put back together?

Which brings us to the three alternatives to the current four-lane road now under consideration: two lanes, three lanes (really two plus a turning lane), or a revised four-lane option.

Each scenario has tradeoffs and I don’t envy the Select Board members who’ve committed to choosing one of the three this spring.

Many of Needham’s downtown businesses are justifiably fearful that changes to parking or traffic patterns could be damaging—even fatal—to their livelihoods. The board must take those concerns seriously.

At the same time, the board shouldn’t focus solely on the street’s current economic viability. Responsible leaders must also consider whether downtown Needham can attract and retain the future generations of retailers, restaurateurs, entrepreneurs and customers.

Planning for our downtowns and village centers requires balancing today’s needs with tomorrow’s reality.   And yet, “no one stood up [Wednesday] to support the idea that wider sidewalks, fewer cars, and easier street crossings would improve civic and commercial life in downtown Needham,” the Needham Observer notes.

Now you can weigh in too: The town has created a survey to collect input on the project, with a Feb. 22 deadline.

Tell me what you think, too.

Congress steps up on science

Congress quietly did something this week that has a significant economic benefit for our state and region.

It restored federal medical research funding that had been slashed by nearly 40% by the Trump administration, reports the Globe’s Chris Serres.

In fact, lawmakers increased the National Institutes of Health’s budget by $415 million and scrapped the administration’s overly harsh cap on critical laboratory upkeep and other expenses.

Massachusetts gets the most NIH funding per capita — far ahead of any other state.

Congressman Jake Auchincloss credited the win to “a combination of civil society, of litigation, and of `quiet Congress’... the secret productivity of Congress, away from the headlines.”

Even so, the risk of further cuts to scientific research looms, Serres writes.

Our chamber is a member of Business for Federal Research Funding, a national coalition of chambers that advocates for maintaining and increasing research funding.

The forest would remain under MassBay housing plan

Wellesley College’s student newspaper offers a helpful recap of the controversy (but a misleading headline) surrounding the state’s interest in allowing up to 180 homes to be built on a five-acre portion of a MassBay Community College parking lot.

It’s just too bad that the neighborhood association, the Friends of Brookside, continues to promote the false narrative that the state wants to build homes in the forest, despite repeated statements from town leaders that they’ve been assured this is NOT the state’s intention.

“I’ve been disappointed that there’s been a lot of misinformation spread around the town that we’re gonna bulldoze the 45 acres and build on it. No. I’ve never heard that even entertained,” MassBay President David Podell told reporters Lily Smith and Juliana McDowell of The Wellesley News.

Tuesday grab bag

• The Patriots are on the verge of having won four Super Bowls in the years since a housing development at the Riverside T station was first proposed.
  
  
• Since Massachusetts formally legalized accessory dwelling units on most residential lots statewide 12 months ago, municipalities issued building permits for 1,224 projects. Of those, 18 ADUs have been approved in Newton, four in both Needham and Wellesley, but none in Watertown. (Banker & Tradesman)
  
  
• The first of two independent bookstores coming to Needham Center, The Book Shop of Needham, opens Saturday on Chestnut Street. (Needham Observer)
  
  
• Protecting your business from fraud is no longer optional. That’s why we’re bringing together experts from across sectors to help small business owners better understand today’s fraud risks at a webinar on Fri. Mar. 6 (9 a.m.). Middlesex DA Marian Ryan will be among our panelists
  
  
• Celebrate the Lunar New Year on Thurs. Feb. 19 (5–6:30 p.m.) at Sunrise of Newton with festive food, drinks, and a Dragon Dance.
  
  
• The Watertown Business Coalition’s February networking event – spotlighting several local nonprofits —will be at Branch Line, Feb 10, 5:30 p.m.
  
  
• The Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce hosts the First Annual LGBTQ+ Business Awards on Fri. March 6 (9 a.m.–12 p.m.) at Babson College, celebrating businesses and individuals advancing inclusion and opportunity across the Commonwealth.
  
  
• Dr. Kyera Singleton will discuss Massachusetts’ overlooked history of slavery before abolition on Sun. Feb. 8 (2–3:30 p.m.) at the Needham Free Public Library

We wish Watertown wouldn’t treat this so lightly

Watertown city officials and state representatives went to Beacon Hill last week to urge lawmakers to permanently extend a soon-to-expire exemption that allows the city to tax commercial properties at a higher rate.

“We have people that have a hard time staying in their homes. They’re living on fixed incomes, and we want to do any little thing we can to help them,” Council President Mark Sideris said.

He’s right. Rising living costs are real. We share those concerns.

But reading Charlie Breitrose of Watertown News’ account of the hearing, it was discouraging to hear Watertown electeds brush aside questions about the impact on businesses, because their affordability worries are genuine, too.

Laredo leans into Bill of Rights and against ICE

Newton Mayor Marc Laredo delivered a blistering speech (really, watch it) in Boston Thursday, committing to “the safety, dignity, and well-being of every person who lives, works and visits our community.”

Standing with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and other mayors and officials, he said he was signing an Executive Order regarding the city's response to federal immigration operations.

“In Newton,” he said.  “We follow the Constitution of the United States. We follow our state constitution. We especially follow our Bill of Rights.”

Laredo stressed in a statement that there is nothing in his order that would restrict or interfere with the execution of court orders or lawful judicial warrants or the enforcement of criminal laws.

Newton Beacon and Fig City News have more.

That’s what you need to know for today, unless you need some Valentine’s Day ideas that show your loved one you also love supporting local.

Go Pats! Go Team USA!

Greg Reibman (he, him)

President & CEO

Charles River Regional Chamber

617.244.1688

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