Max Woolf here

A new poll found that 69% of Massachusetts voters are unwilling to pay a fee to drive into downtown Boston, even if it meant less traffic.

Just 26% of the 500 voters surveyed by Suffolk University said they would be willing to pay extra, while 5% were undecided. 

The Globe's Chris Van Buskirk described the results as "a blow to congestion pricing," the practice of charging drivers entering downtown areas to reduce traffic and one that Boston Mayor Michelle Wu wants to study.

But Streetsblog's Christian MilNeil argues the poll’s results are actually evidence that congestion pricing would work. After all, if drivers are unwilling to pay the fee, many may simply choose not to drive into the city—the very outcome the policy is designed to achieve.

MilNeil also offers New York's experience as a way to cut through public opinion.

Vehicle entries into Manhattan's congestion-pricing zone fell by roughly 11% during the program's first year, while generating hundreds of millions of dollars for transit improvements, according to city officials, 

Additionally, while New York's program initially faced strong opposition, support has grown as traffic has fallen, helping turn congestion pricing into a political success story for Gov. Kathy Hochul.

But Boston is not New York. 

New York can ask drivers to leave their cars behind because it offers a competitive alternative. Its transit network is among the best in the world, serving most neighborhoods and suburbs with fast, frequent service. 

In Greater Boston, particularly in suburban communities like ours, many workers do not have that luxury. Driving is often not a preference; it's a necessity.

And the clearest way to change that is to upgrade our commuter rail to Regional Rail service. (Listen to former transportation secretary Jim Aloisi argue that frequent, all-day service in faster, electrified trains is the only way we will truly compete with cars.)

So if Regional Rail needs funding and congestion pricing needs alternatives, what comes first?

Probably both.

Finding the political will to pursue them simultaneously won't be easy. But neither is living with the status quo.

Every day, congestion steals time from workers, customers, deliveries and businesses. Traffic is already a tax on our economy, and we're paying it whether we realize it or not.

Brookline and Watertown extends last call for World Cup 

Taberna de Haro in Brookline -Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Brookline restaurants and bars can now stay open an hour later during select World Cup matches.

Last week, the Select Board voted to opt into the state's new "last call extension" program, reports Sam Mintz of Brookline.News. The move came after local businesses, including El Peñol on Harvard Street, sought the flexibility to serve fans during late-night games.

Select Board chair David Pearlman credits the chamber’s Chris Mutty with bringing the idea to his attention, Mintz reports.

The decision gives local establishments a new opportunity to attract customers and potentially capitalize on another Scottish invasion. Interested businesses can apply to participate through the town.

Outside of Brookline, Watertown's Donohue's Bar & Grill and City Works have opted in to later hours. The Dooliner is currently the only establishment to apply to Newton.  We’re not aware of any Wellesley or Needham businesses that have sought extensions.

FYI, if you are still looking for a place to catch a match, use our directory to find local restaurants and bars showing the games across our five Charles River Regional Chamber communities. 

Tuesday grab bag

• The MBTA will provide an update on the reconstruction of the Newtonville commuter rail station at a public meeting on Tues. June 24 from 6–7 p.m. to. The meeting will be held both in person at the Cooper Center and via Zoom.
• Check out Watertown’s new high school. (Watertown News)
  
  
• Long-time NewTV Managing Producer Eugene Foygelman has accepted a new role with SiliconANGLE, a media and production company covering tech. Eugene has been behind the camera at countless chamber and other events. We wish him well in his new role.
  
• Bulfinch has acquired 70 Hastings St. in Wellesley, a nearly fully leased medical office building along Route 9. The property, formerly Roche Bros.' headquarters, was purchased by Grander Capital for $4.7 million in 2021.
  
• J.P. Licks has rolled out seven World Cup-inspired ice cream flavors tied to countries playing matches in Boston. The lineup includes flavors like Scotland-inspired oatmeal, whiskey and honey ice cream and is available at all J.P. Licks locations, including Newton Centre, Coolidge Corner and Wellesley Sq.  (BBJ)
  
• Last call for Brookline Night tickets. Join us for what’s shaping up to be a beautiful summer evening on the rooftop deck of the Hilton Garden Inn in Brookline Village.
  
• Last December, Massachusetts approved regulations allowing Amsterdam-style cannabis lounges and other social consumption venues. Six months later, no licenses have been issued, and few communities have taken the steps needed to allow them, leaving some operators in the dust. (Boston Globe)
  
• The debate over a proposed parking garage and housing development in Watertown Square is heating up. City Manager George Proakis and Council President Mark Sideris explain the rationale behind the project and what could come next in an interview with Watertown News.

Could Watertown be the decider in State Senate contest?

Our region’s competitive State House races picked up several notable endorsements in recent weeks.

In the Suffolk and Middlesex Senate District, statewide housing advocacy group Abundant Housing Massachusetts endorsed incumbent Senator William Brownsberger. His challenger, Daniel Lander, picked up endorsements from both of his former bosses, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren,

Gintautas Dumcius, formerly of State House News, noted that both Senate candidates have strong footholds in different parts of the district in Boston, Cambridge and Belmont, meaning “the race could come down to the results out of Watertown,” the only community where neither candidate has lived.  

Brownsberger has also been endorsed by Gov. Healey and the entire Watertown City Council.

Meanwhile, in the 10th Middlesex District, which includes Watertown and Nonantum, Abundant Housing also endorsed Newton City Councilor Alison Leary in her rematch against incumbent State Rep. John Lawn. 

Add this to your calendar: The chamber will host virtual debates between Lawn and Leary on July 21 at 1 pm and between Brownsberger and Lander on Aug. 10 at 1 pm.

Wellesley Planning Board mulls new path on housing

As if it wasn’t hard enough to get multi-family developments approved, the Wellesley Planning Board is now considering stepping back from sponsoring zoning changes for individual projects. 

The shift comes after a series of Planning Board-backed rezonings in Lower Falls failed at Town Meeting two years ago. Those proposals, which were also supported by the Select Board, sparked such backlash that Town Meeting later eliminated the pro-housing RIO bylaw that enabled them.

Chair Marc Charney insists the change is "not in an attempt to distance the board from the applicant," but rather "an attempt to have the applicant carry the water themselves." 

But we worry it may reduce the chances that new housing proposals succeed.

In any case, developers would still be able to submit zoning requests directly to the Town Meeting. And local builder Dean Behrend may have to do just that.

Presenting to the Planning Board last week, Behrend outlined plans to replace several dilapidated single-family homes with a 15-unit condominium building at 136 Worcester St.

Behrend originally wanted to build 40 apartments there, but even this more modest proposal will require a zoning change from Town Meeting to proceed.

Bob Brown of the Swellesley Report has more on the project.

That’s what you need to know for today, unless you need to know your birthday star

Max Woolf (he, him)

Public Policy and Government Affairs Manager

Charles River Regional Chamber

617-431-6101

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