The first and last thing our Transportation Secretary told us
The first and last thing our Transportation Secretary told us
Secretary of Transportation Monica Tibbits-Nutt has one of the most daunting and far-reaching jobs in state government. She’s responsible for four MassDOT divisions: Highway, Rail and Transit, Registry of Motor Vehicles and Aeronautics. She also serves on the Massport and MBTA Board of Directors., So what was the first thing Tibbits-Nutt talked about when she spoke at our chamber event Tuesday? Housing. And what was the last thing she mentioned? Housing again. That’s because Tibbits-Nutt (like every other Healey administration official I’ve heard speak lately and a growing number of employers) recognizes the interconnectedness between our biggest challenges. As in: We can’t solve our transportation challenges if we don’t eliminate the gridlock that’s occurring from the lack of housing people can afford near where they need to be. And we’re not going to solve our housing problems without better transportation infrastructure too. Tibbits-Nutt spent most of her hour with us at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Watertown painting an optimistic picture of the state’s and MassDOT’s ability to meet the challenge. And yes she talked about tolls, our commuter rail stations, buses, traffic, googly eyes on the Green Line, and the fellow she sees each morning eating cereal while driving. She also stressed that the next five to 10 years will be difficult for transportation considering how much work there is to do. Read more from: ….and watch the video here (thanks to our friends at NewTV). It’s both informative and entertaining: | |
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Please tell us someone on Beacon Hill is working on this idea Starting in September, Vermont will be able to grant professional licenses to qualified immigrants, regardless of their work status, AP reports. The law — designed to ease Vermont’s labor shortage — covers over 100 professional roles, including nurses, barbers, social workers and substance misuse counselors. The law gives applicants the option of providing a federal employer identification number or an individual taxpayer identification number, instead of a social security number, to obtain or maintain a professional license or certification. Ten other states have implemented some form of this policy. Can we be next? | |
Next big Watertown Square meeting setThe next meeting on the future of Watertown Square is happening June 12, 6 p.m. at the Watertown Free Public Library, with a virtual option. The Watertown Square Area Plan includes both the redesign of the streetscape and a zoning overhaul in compliance with the MBTA Communities Law. (Read Amy Dain’s interesting take here.) To comply, Watertown must allow for at least 1,701 housing units to be built by right, while the draft plan presented in April allows for about 3,300 units by right. As regular readers will know, this is when I add the obligatory disclaimer … actually, let’s let City Manager George Proakis do it this time: “(The MBTA Communities Law number) is not a production goal, it is not a production expectation. That is not, you know, thou shalt build 1,700 units or some other number — 3,100 units or whatever it might be,” Proakis tells Charlie Breitrose at Watertown News. “If you have a private landowner on a private lot, that is doing their thing, and wants to keep on doing their thing, and not develop it as housing, so be it — that’s that. Is it more likely some real estate developers could pick up the phone and say, ‘Hey, do you want to sell?’ Probably, but that’s that.” The June 12 meeting at the library will incorporate feedback from 499 responses to a survey conducted in April. And if you were the person who thought about completing the survey but never did, don’t you feel bad right now that you kept the city from reaching 500 survey responses? Speaking of MBTA Communities: Don’t believe the headlines With spring Town Meetings underway, dozens of municipalities across the Commonwealth are approving rezoning plans to comply with MBTA Communities, with only a handful resisting. The Globe is crowd sourcing votes here. ALSO: Attend a free virtual discussion next Thursday (May 23) at noon with Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and CHAPA, to learn about an effort to engage business and civic leaders to help address the housing crisis. RSVP. | |
Friday grab bag
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This is no longer your mother’s, your father’s, or anyone else's, CBD store We’re sad to report the closing of Your CBD Store on Great Plain Avenue in Needham effective May 31. In business since 2019, the Needham Health Department ordered the shop to stop selling ingestible CBD products based on guidance from the FDA, explains the Needham Observer’s Peter O’Neil. “Sadly, this will be our last day in business, despite having a thriving business and 15 months left on the lease.” owner Anna Schickel reportedly told customers this week Sunmed, a national company that provides the inventory has a least six other Your CBD Stores in Massachusetts. To date, Needham appears to be the only community to have taken action, O’Neil adds. “We don’t feel we have a ton of discretion,” said Health Director Tim McDonald. “Once we’re made aware of something we do have to enforce it.” | |
A weekend for our communities to shine (and your chamber president to run around) Finally this morning, a reporter at the Washington Post set out the other day on a mission to pet all 200 breeds at the Westminster Dog show. Someone else set out to map all of Greater Boston’s best dive bars. But that’s nothing compared to the highly enjoyable challenge a certain chamber president I know faces this weekend as he tries to attend as many events as possible across four communities. How to choose between a parade, a concert, pancakes and fireworks as part of Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend, or hundreds of bands performing at the first ever Watertown Porch Fest? Needham honors Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a Kid Craft Festival and, separately, an event to celebrate Holi - the Festival of Colors. Newton choices include a Family Fun Fest, the Newton House Tour , Waban Village Day, the previously mentioned Children’s Business Fair and the always special, multi-day, multi-venue Annual Linda Plaut Festival of the Arts. It’s also the weekend to be thinking about your garden: There’s seedling sales at Newton Community Farm and at Needham Community Farm, plus the Needham Garden Club’s plant sale and at Gore Place. Hope to run into you at one — or many — of these events (and apologies for any events I left out). Enjoy! | |
That’s what you need to know for today – National Bike to Work Day -- unless you need to know whose order should a restaurant server take first? Make it good one. (That includes you, Boston Bruins.) Greg Reibman (he, him) President & CEO Charles River Regional Chamber Keep up with news from our members here. |