Aug. 14, 2026

Good Morning,

A quick thank you to all of you whose continued trust keeps the Charles River Regional Chamber strong and thriving. We’re proud to once again be the Boston Business Journal’s fourth-largest chamber in Massachusetts.

Not yet a member? Join here.

Now to the news.

To garage or not to garage?

That was the question before the Watertown City Council this week as it kicked off formal deliberations over the next phase of Watertown Square’s redevelopment.

So far, the Square’s reimagining has largely been a win for City Manager George Proakis, whose Square Area Plan earned national recognition. But his proposal for a municipal parking garage behind CVS may be his biggest challenge yet, drawing pushback from young and old alike.

Monday night, Proakis presented his case, presenting a handful of examples of how parking garages have helped turn struggling downtowns into thriving destinations in Salem, Lowell and Portsmouth, NH.

Still, opponents (and there were many) worried that a garage would be dangerous, a waste of money, a traffic magnet, turn the Square into a second Arsenal Yards, or simply too big a change for the Square.

But we believe a big change is needed to meet the needs of our businesses and Watertown’s economic and cultural vitality.

For too long, Watertown Square has underperformed its commercial potential while overperforming as a route for cut-through traffic.

It’s time for our local businesses to capture more of those passing-through drivers, and a garage can help do that. By giving people a convenient place to stop, restaurants, retailers and cultural institutions can tap into a much larger customer base, bringing more people into the Square and more activity to its streets. 

Most importantly, a garage would accelerate the redevelopment of the Square by freeing up land for green space, housing and other amenities.

But Watertown needs to do it right

While we believe think a garage is the right long-term move, the path to get there is filled with potholes.

Construction would require the temporary loss of hundreds of parking spaces, which could cause serious pain for our existing businesses. The city needs to meet that challenge with a comprehensive plan to make sure existing businesses are still around to see the benefits.

Charlie Breitrose of Watertown News has much more on the project.

A brighter path on Brookline’s lighting rules

The Town of Brookline has tried more than once to regulate outdoor lighting, with past proposals raising alarm for the business community.

Last year’s version, in particular, would have imposed strict limits on commercial lighting, including an early shutoff for café and decorative lights and broad new requirements for shielding and existing fixtures. Those concerns ultimately led the town’s Small Business Development Committee to recommend excluding commercial districts altogether.

The latest proposal takes a more measured approach, and the Moderator’s Committee deserves credit for listening to that feedback. (See FAQs.)

Rather than creating an aggressive enforcement regime, the bylaw would be complaint-based. The approach sets permissive baseline standards townwide while giving the Building Commissioner tools to negotiate solutions when lighting becomes a nuisance.

In practice, the expectation is that the bylaw will be used primarily to address disputes in residential neighborhoods, not to actively police businesses.

That is a much more reasonable starting point. Still, we urge businesses and property owners to review the proposal carefully to make sure it won't negatively impact your success.

We welcome your input.

Haitian TPS decision hits home in Brookline

The Trump administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians is already having consequences in our communities.

On Tuesday, Goddard House, a Chamber member and assisted living community in Brookline, had to let go of several Haitian employees who lost their authorization to work, reports Zane Razzaq of Brookline.News.

“They are dedicated caregivers, so it’s unfortunate,” Goddard House CEO Candace Cramer told Razzaq. “There’s a real human aspect to this, and sometimes that gets lost in the conversation about how it’s affecting people’s lives.”

And Goddard House is not alone, as Razzaq highlighted several other local senior-care providers confronting similar concerns, including Hebrew Senior Life, which had to lay off 36 caregivers in locations outside of Brookline.

It’s not surprising, as health care and senior care are expected to be among the industries hardest hit by the end of Haitian TPS, with an estimated 1,500 workers in nursing-care facilities statewide affected.

The state recommends employers seek legal counsel before taking employment action based solely on TPS status.  

Affected workers can also find assistance through the Massachusetts Legal Resource Finder and MIRA Immigration Helpline.

Friday grab bag

• Because we know many families are struggling to find child care in these days before school starts, you’re invited to bring your kids to Watertown Night on Aug. 27 at Gore Place.  RSVP.
  
• The City of Newton will appeal a Superior Court decision ruling that it improperly collected $2.4 million in local cannabis fees from three dispensaries. It's disappointing to see the years-long lawsuit continue to drag on as the city challenges the ruling. (Fig City News)
  
  
• Kids’ clothing startup Piper&Cloth will be the first pop-up tenant in The Village Bank's new Wellesley branch retail space.
  
  
• Brookline.News is expanding its coverage of Brookline's restaurant and food scene. Sign up for their free Brookline Eats newsletter.
  
  
• Mount Auburn Cemetery’s Dinner Under the Oaks takes place Sept. 17 at 5:30 p.m. RSVP
  
  
• SDG Development & Construction is looking to construct a 5-story self-storage facility for extra space storage at 59 Clarendon St in Watertown’s East End. The facility will replace a one-story industrial building.
  
  
• The Wellesley Health Department is offering grants to programs that support residents and businesses focused on prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery from substance use disorder. Grants are available for up to three years at $20,000 per year thanks to settled lawsuits against opioid manufacturers, distributors and retailers and must be used for specific programming. Details.
  
  
• If you, like me, are annoyed by the proliferation of double parking, Newton Economic Development Commission Vice Chair Chuck Tanowitz has some ideas for fixing it. (Newton Beacon) 
  
  
• The City of Newton is launching an ADU design contest aimed at making accessory dwelling units easier and cheaper to build. Designers, architects, builders and students can submit plans, with the public ultimately voting on winners. (Newton Beacon)
  
  
• Remember that the Green Line is down through Sunday in many places. (Boston Globe)
  
  
• Wellesley and Natick’s zoning boards are grappling with new state laws that empower homeowners and leave fewer cases for the boards to hear. (Swellesley Report)

Tax vote set in Needham, price tag TBD 

This November, Needham voters will decide whether to hike property taxes to help pay for a new Pollard Middle School.

The Select Board voted 4-1 last week to put the debt exclusion question on the ballot.

How much the increase will be remains unclear. After the Massachusetts School Building Authority finalizes its vote on how much it will contribute toward the project, the town plans to publish a calculator showing how much individual tax bills would increase on Sept.1.

If approved, the increase would likely be on the books for 10 to 20 years while the project's debt is repaid

And since Needham shifts as much of its property tax burden onto commercial properties as state law allows, businesses are guaranteed to shoulder a disproportionate share of any increase.

That’s what you need to know for today, unless you need to know that Boston’s Back Bay sits on top of Needham?

Max Woolf (he, him)

Public Policy and Government Affairs Manager

Charles River Regional Chamber

617-431-6101

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