Good morning, friends,

There are ONLY three ways to lower the cost of housing:

1. Make your community so wretched that no one wants to live there anymore.
2. Spend kajillions in taxpayer dollars on subsidizing housing.
3. Build a lot more housing.

Nobody wants the first choice.

And if you choose the second path, you won’t have any money left for schools, public safety, water quality, infrastructure, etc. and you’ll end up with Option 1 anyway.

Which leaves Option 3.

Although it was never going to solve the problem on its own, that’s the concept that lead Beacon Hill to adopt the bipartisan MBTA Communities Act in 2021: Ask each community in eastern Massachusetts to make it easier for the free market to build small, multi-family, middle market homes near transit.

If each municipality approaches the process with integrity and does its fair share, supply will increase and costs will decline.

And that’s why this week’s Supreme Judicial Court ruling was so important.

In a unanimous decision, the justices determined MBTA Communities was constitutional and that the attorney general had the authority to enforce the law.

Yes, the court also determined that the state needs to rework the regulations. But that’s only a procedural set-back that the Healey-Driscoll administration plans to rectify, beginning with an emergency order expected today.

Which brings us to Needham

Needham approached the MBTA Communities Act with integrity.

The town created a multi-year public engagement process (those community meetings were packed) and ultimately adopted a compliance plan that will open up opportunities along two commercial corridors for middle-market homes that are in short supply and high demand.

Yes, there was a smaller, less ambitious, plan that an independent analysis found might create about 411 new homes over the next decade or more.

But Town Meeting wisely recognized the need to go bigger to meet demand (which, it’s worth reminding naysayers, is also net revenue positive for the town) and embraced the Neighborhood Housing Plan which is projected to yield about 1,288 new middle market and affordable homes over a decade.

Needham is a well managed town that’s poised for thoughtful, incremental, growth. Next Tuesday, voters have a chance to do something meaningful for the people and businesses there today and for future generations who would cherish the opportunity to call Needham home.

They can — and should — vote YES for Needham.

Related reading:

• “A loss for Milton is a victory for housing” (Globe editorial)
• Needham’s MBTA Communities plan gets a gold star (ReMain)
• “In Needham, it’s neighbor versus neighbor'“ (BBJ)
• “Owners, developers mixed on MBTA zoning’s impact” (Needham Observer)
• Video interviews with Needham business leaders (The chamber)

Precarious times (again) for restaurants

Dry January offers health benefits, something we’ve all become especially aware of in light of the Surgeon General’s recent warnings.

But for the health of our restaurants, it’s yet another challenge.

Restauranters are already battling rising costs of labor, food, insurance, credit card fees and pretty much everything else. In addition, many restaurant goers began cutting back on eating out last year, according to the National Restaurant Association.

“Although alcohol generates far less revenue for restaurants than food, profit margins on drinks are much larger, and the financial risks for owners are fewer,” writes Kim Severson at the New York Times. (free link)

“Unlike a walk-in refrigerator filled with perishable food, the bar is stocked with inventory that doesn’t go bad. Labor costs at the bar are easier to manage, too.”

Friday grab bag

• Olespana Whiskey & Tapas Bar in Watertown is no longer in business, although Watertown News reports there are plans to open a different restaurant at the same location.
  
  
• With the closing of Olespana, we’re moving our first annual Watertown Night event to Donohue's Bar & Grill on Thurs., Jan. 23, 5:30 - 7 p.m. All tickets will be honored. Thanks to J.D. Donohue for quickly stepping up to accommodate us.
  
  
• Eastern Bank has earned a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2025 Corporate Equality Index for the 11th consecutive year, recognizing its commitment to LGBTQ+ workplace equality.
  
  
• Join the River of Light Lantern Parade Sat. Jan 18 (4–6 p.m.) at the Mosesian Center for the Arts. This enchanting winter celebration features a lantern procession, light performances, and free hot cocoa and cookies.
  
  
• Good Shepherd Community Care and chamber member TopGolf are hosting a fundraiser on Jan 25,to support free children's bereavement programs. Enjoy three hours of play, breakfast and drinks while contributing to a meaningful cause. Details.
  
  
• Our early bird tickets discount ends this Weds. (Jan. 15) for our annual Winter Celebration at William James College on Feb. 5.
  
  
• Pulitzer Prize-winning author Sebastian Smee will speak on Sun. (Jan. 12) from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Needham Library, discussing the impact of war and romance on Impressionism, with a focus on artists Berthe Morisot and Édouard Manet. This free event requires registration.
  
  
• Mount Auburn Cemetery is accepting applications for its 2025-26 Artist-in-Residence program, offering grants of $500–$4,000 to 3–6 artists to create original, site-specific works inspired by the Cemetery. Applications due Feb. 1. Apply
  
  

Whoops, I missed one

Just before the holidays, I ran an item congratulating 20 chamber members that were recognized as 2024 Top Place to Work by the Boston Globe.

I overlooked one: Visiting Angels of Newton and Canton, MA.  

Celebrating its 20th year, Visiting Angels is a home care agency that provides non-medical in-home services to elderly and disabled adults in our communities since 2004. Sorry about the oversight and congratulations to all the honorees.

Chamber directors elect new leadership

Finally today, I was thinking of writing something along the lines of “I’d like to introduce you to the new chair of our chamber’s board of directors.”

Truth is, the vast majority of our members already know Angela Pitter.

Pitter has been on our board for seven years. She’s one of our most popular webinar presenters on social media and digital marketing. She’s also one of our super networkers, a frequent flyer attendee at chamber events.

She’s the founder and CEO of LiveWire Collaborative, a Newton-based digital marketing consultancy that has been harnessing innovative digital marketing strategies and AI to connect businesses with customers since 2012

Pitter is also no stranger to public service and community activism. For six years she was an elected member of the Newton School Committee. She is currently a member of the Black Alumni Leadership Council at Boston University and founder of the Newton Coalition for Black Residents. She’s been twice recognized as one of the Top 50 Most Influential Business Leaders of Color and is an in-demand expert and presenter with her LinkedIn Influencer framework.

“The Charles River Regional Chamber has always been a leader in advocacy, inclusivity and community-building,” Pitter wrote on LinkedIn.

“As we begin this new chapter, I’m excited to carry forward this legacy of excellence while embracing fresh opportunities to grow and evolve. This is a year where we not only build on our past successes but also set bold new benchmarks for innovation and impact.”

In addition to electing Pitter to a two-year term as chair, our board elected:

• Michelle DeSimone, First VP CRE Relationship Manager at Needham Bank, first vice chair
• Jeff Cournoyer, Assistant Chancellor and Managing Director Greater Boston at the UMass Amherst Mount Ida Campus, vice chair
• John Karacalidis, COO, The Village Bank, vice chair
• Dan Brent, VP of Finance and Operations at William James College, treasurer
• Tali Golan Sherman ,director global impact at Tripadvisor, board secretary

I’m looking forward to collaborating and being inspired by Angela at a time when our businesses and nonprofits are approaching economic uncertainty and challenges. 

You should be too.

P.S. My heartfelt thanks and appreciation to John Rufo for his efforts leading and shaping this organization over the past two years a chair. He continues on as our immediate past chair.

That’s what you need to know for this week unless you’d need to know how much the characters played by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Robin Williams in "Good Will Hunting" would pay to live in their apartments today.

Be back Tuesday.  Please ask your Needham friends to vote YES.

Greg Reibman (he, him)

President & CEO

Charles River Regional Chamber

617.244.1688