Good morning friends,

Remember back in July when the chamber requested an opportunity to speak at a Newton City Council committee meeting about the commercial office market crisis?

Zoning & Planning Committee Chair Lisle Baker denied our request.

The Newton League of Women Voters sent a letter, and dozens of emailers also urged the council to allow the business community to be heard.

It didn’t happen.

Four months later, we’re getting our close-up.

Baker has invited the chamber, along with the Economic Development Commission, to participate in a discussion on the topic this Monday (Sept. 29) at 7 p.m.

As I had always intended, I will yield my allotted ten minutes of speaking time to two subject matter experts — a property owner (Jodie Zussman at Boston Development Group) and a commercial broker (Elizabeth Holmes at R.W. Holmes Commercial RE)  — so the councilors will have a chance to hear firsthand about the challenges facing this sector and how policy changes could make Newton more competitive.  

I’m grateful to the committee chair for reconsidering. 

We’re No. 1 but we’re also No. 50

A new, eye-opening, analysis comparing Massachusetts’ competitiveness to other states is now available.

Once again, it highlights our world-class strengths in education, healthcare, and innovation.

But — also once again — the study cautions that “the state’s high costs of living and doing business are eroding our competitive edge, even before the changing federal policy landscape poses unique threats.”

That’s among the conclusions found in the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation second installment of its 2025 Competitiveness Index.

Among the good:

• We’re smart: We rank No. 1 nationally in 8th-grade reading and 8th-grade math test scores. We’re also No. 1 in having the highest percentage of our population aged 25 and older with a bachelor's degree.
• We’re productive: Massachusetts is ranked 2nd nationally in Gross State Product per capita, reflecting high economic productivity and workforce efficiency.
• We’re still innovating: Massachusetts continues to rank 1st in venture capital funding despite a significant year-over-year decline in funding.

Not so good:

• We’re expensive: The state has the highest infant childcare costs in the nation. We’re 45th in the country for housing cost burden.  We dropped from 36th to 48th in healthcare costs for employers. Unemployment taxes are 38th worst.
• We’re losing people: Massachusetts ranks 45th nationally in domestic migration, signaling continued loss of residents to other states, especially among young adults aged 26-35 (48th nationally).
• We’ve stopped creating jobs:  Private employment growth ranked 50th nationally.
• We’re congested: Massachusetts has the 47th-longest commute time.

The report also notes that international migration is a clear competitive strength, 3rd best nationally.  But, of course, those and the rest of the rankings don’t reflect the impacts of current federal policies.

There’s oodles more here, plus a poll exploring the public’s perception of our strengths and weaknesses, including this sobering statistic: 41 percent of residents age 18-29 plan to move within five years, largely driven by high living costs.

Chestnut Hill development shrinks, for the 4th time

City Realty, the developer that owns a key piece of underdeveloped land just over the Newton line in Chestnut Hill, has put a new proposal for a multi-use project, reports Sam Mintz at the Brookline News.

It’s the fourth iteration of a plan for 1280-1330 Beacon Street in the past a year and a half.

Each time, the number of homes has shrunk.  It’s now down from the original 668 units to 245 condos and apartments, plus a 200-room hotel, 55,000 SF of retail and a 230,000 SF medical office.

Friday grab bag

• A sign in the window at the Waban Starbucks (once one of the nicest in our region) says it is closing, effective tomorrow (Saturday). This is apparently part of a nationwide restructuring but hopefully an opportunity for something even better at the location.
• Back in July, Politico’s Massachusetts Playbook reported that Needham state Sen. Becca Rausch “has been fielding calls about running for secretary of state” in 2026.  This week, Contrarian Boston says Rausch is eyeing a potential 2026 run for Norfolk County DA.
• Historic Newton’s annual Hayfest returns this Sunday (Sept. 28), 12–4 p.m. at the Jackson Homestead featuring19th-century crafts, historic games, cider pressing, seasonal refreshments and music.
• The Needham Thrives Festival also takes place Sunday (1–4 p.m.) at Greene’s Field, featuring wellness exhibitors, family activities, and workshops promoting community connection and well-being.
• Smart appointment: Newton’s all but certain next mayor, Marc Laredo, says he will appoint former Newton Community Pride (now Spark Newton) Chair Meryl Kessler to head a new Arts and Culture Department at City Hall. (Newton Beacon)
• The Wellesley Planning Board will meet Monday (Sept. 29) at 6:30 p.m. to hear developer Jumbo Capital’s proposal to raze the office building at 888 Worcester St. (Rte. 9 east) to make way for a senior living community on the 6-acre site. (Swellesley Report)
• The Newton Bakery Crawl returns this Friday (Sept. 27) and Saturday.
• Wellesley’s Laughing Dog Yoga Studio closing after 23 years (Swellesley Report);
• David Fenton, the new CEO at Newton-based Cranshaw Construction discussed industry challenges and opportunities in a recent interview  with Taylor Driscoll at Bisnow
• Meet and talk with many of the candidates running for municipal office about important challenges and issues facing Newton, Oct. 4,  6:30 p.m. at “Saturday Afternoon at the Races,” at Newton North High School. Presented by the League of Women Voters of Newton.
• Here’s how Brookline’s Coolidge Corner Theatre became one of only 10 theaters worldwide showing the new Leonardo DiCaprio’s film “One Battle After Another,” in VistaVision. Tickets.
• Dedham Savings has opened a second branch in Needham at 695 Highland Ave and is supporting shopping local in October by providing daily $50 local gift card giveaways, refreshments and more.
• Newton for Everyone hosts “Priced Out: The Growing Challenge of Teacher Retention and Housing Costs,” examining how rising housing costs are affecting teacher recruitment and retention, Sept. 30, 7 p.m. at the Scandinavian Living Center and Zoom.
• Welcome Home’s Fabric of Community Blanket &Towel Drive returns Oct. 4 (10–1 p.m.) at The Street Chestnut Hill, collecting gently used or new items to support families transitioning into housing.

Downtowns short-changed in state budget

The only program dedicated to supporting our downtowns and main streets, was quietly cut from the state’s budget this summer.

The Massachusetts Downtown Initiative had a small $600,000 budget. But it provided helpful grants for communities to undertake activities like branding, parking management or district management, as well as workshops and trainings, notes André Leroux in a Banker & Tradesman op-ed.

“Of course, the state has other economic development programs, but they tend to address strategic sectors like biotech, climate tech, and housing, or challenges to individual firms around lending or job retention,” he writes.

The result: Massachusetts has no statewide downtown advocacy organization, nor an annual downtown conference, adds Leroux, director of the Gateway Cities Innovation Institute at Mass INC Policy Center.

Leroux calls for the creation of a downtown advisory council, legislative actions and collaboration among state agencies.

Why some developers say they won’t build in Wellesley

Finally, today, Encore Properties has finally secured approval for The Bellwether—a 34-unit condo project that will replace an office building right off Route 9, reports Bob Brown of The Swellesley Report.

Initially presented in 2023, this was no quick process. The site first had to be rezoned under the Residential Incentive Overlay (RIO) bylaw, which was created to encourage multifamily housing near transit and commercial areas.

But even after Town Meeting granted that rezoning in the spring of 2024, this modest project spent another year and a half grinding through reviews by local boards before finally getting the green light.

And despite its name, The Bellwether may be the last of its kind. Two modest RIO proposals were rejected at Town Meeting last fall and this spring Town Meeting nearly dismantled the bylaw itself.

The message to developers is clear: Building in Wellesley means bracing for a long, drawn-out, expensive, process.

Delays can be great for lawyers. Not great for individuals or families who’d love to live, or stay, in Wellesley.

Still some town officials wondered at a meeting last week (1:28 timestamp) why the state didn’t first try going through the local process with a plan to create housing on the MassBay campus.

I value your feedback.

Finally today, Encore Properties has finally secured approval for The Bellwether—a 34-unit condo project that will replace an office building right off Route 9, reports Bob Brown of The Swellesley Report.

Initially presented in 2023, this was no quick process. The site first had to be rezoned under the Residential Incentive Overlay (RIO) bylaw, which was created to encourage multifamily housing near transit and commercial areas.

But even after Town Meeting granted that rezoning in the spring of 2024, this modest project spent another year and a half grinding through reviews by local boards before finally getting the green light.

And despite its name, The Bellwether may be the last of its kind. Two modest RIO proposals were rejected at Town Meeting last fall and this spring Town Meeting nearly dismantled the bylaw itself.

The message to developers is clear: Building in Wellesley means bracing for a long, drawn-out, expensive, process.

Delays can be great for lawyers. Not great for individuals or families who’d love to live, or stay, in Wellesley.

Still some town officials wondered at a meeting last week (1:28 timestamp) why the state didn’t first try going through the local process with a plan to create housing on the MassBay campus.

I value your feedback.

Greg Reibman (he, him)

President & CEO

Charles River Regional Chamber

617.244.1688

Max Woolf contributed to today’s newsletter.