Good morning friends,

Needham Town Meeting delivered a powerful message this week.  It goes something like this:

Yes, we recognize that we need to be part of the solution when it comes to addressing the region’s soul crushing housing crisis.

Yes, we want to be a community young adults can call home; a place where seniors can downsize; and a place that provides housing for our municipal workforce, teachers and private sector employees.

And yes, we want to strengthen our local restaurants and merchants and protect our environment by creating a more vibrant, walkable, Needham Center and Heights.

It took a village to narrowly win approval, 118 to 90, of the Neighborhood Housing Plan on Monday, the more ambitious of two proposed options to comply with the MBTA Communities Law.

All of Needham should be proud.

How it happened

Behind Monday’s win was a coalition of housing advocates, environmentalists and businesses standing up against the powerful fear of change.  

We are especially grateful to the Needham’s HONE Advisory Group, under the impassioned leadership of Heidi Frail and her co-chair Natasha Espada.  We’re in awe of the citizen-driven Needham Housing Coalition and its relentless advocacy.   And we’re so proud of the three dozen large and small local employers who stood in support of the Neighborhood Housing Plan.

Let’s hope what happens in Needham doesn’t stay in Needham.

Let’s hope it inspires more municipalities across the Commonwealth to also go bold.

On the other hand, NIMBYs win (twice) in Wellesley

In contrast, Wellesley continued its recent trend of finding a way to stop, squelch, skirt or stall, more multi-family, housing projects

Special Town Meeting rejected two plans Tuesday, representing homes for more than 100 homo sapiens and their kin — including 20-plus affordable units — in Lower Falls.

Articles 16 (21 condos at Washington Court) and Article 17 (83 condos in phase one at Walnut Street) had support from the Select Board, Planning Board, Building a Better Wellesley and the chamber.

The Advisory Committee advised against it. Abutters have been busy too.

Many skeptics used the “I support more housing but…” approach.  “No one told us!” and “What’s the rush?” were popular too. Others urged waiting for the next strategic housing plan.

Planning Board Director Tom Taylor did his best to win approval. He noted that his board held 12 publicly advertised meetings on the items. (The next day the Swellesley Report linked to articles it published as far back as April, including over the summer, and recent Select Board, Planning Board and Advisory meetings.)

As for those wanting to wait, Taylor noted that no new report will say Wellesley doesn’t need more multi-family homes. Town Administrator Meghan Jop tried too, reminding everyone that approval wouldn’t preclude traffic studies and a long public permitting and input process.

“I hope we can all agree that adding additional housing is a need and goal in Wellesley,” Taylor said.

All could not agree.

Article 16 tanked, 48-143. Article 17 lost 71-107. 

Joe Hassel, the Wellesley-based developer of both projects, suggested he’ll seek to bring both projects back to Spring Town Meeting.

As for all those in the “no one told us” crowd, subscribe to the Swelllesy’s newsletter here and the chamber’s here. Both are free.

Why you should care about this Boston tax dispute

Back in 2021 when we rebranded the Newton-Needham Regional Chamber as Charles River Regional Chamber we noted that we picked the name partly because the Charles flows through the four communities we serve.

It was also because the river connects us to Boston, the economic engine that drives our own economy and desirability.

Our success depends on Boston’s success.

That’s why this week’s resolution of a months-long commercial property tax standoff between Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and top business groups is something that should matter to you even if you don’t own property or have a business in Boston proper. (It’s appropriate to worry about the precedent it could set for other municipalities too.)

The Globe explains the deal and remaining challenges. The short version is business groups agreed to back a commercial property tax shift increase but at a lower rate and for fewer years than Wu sought.

Meanwhile, Wu has refused to cut city spending or use reserves to lower the tax burden. There also appears to be no serious effort to address the reality that declining commercial property values are a long term concern.

So the dispute may be over, yet the underlying problem persists.

Friday grab bag

• If you’re reading this on Friday morning you still have time to head over to Authors & Innovators at Mosesian Center for the Arts in Watertown. The free event (including lunch) runs until 2 p.m.
  
  
• And don’t forget our Fall Business Breakfast is one week from this morning (Nov. 1) at the Newton Marriott. Here’s a clip of our keynote speaker if you want a hint of what’s on the agenda.
  
  
• The MBTA will assemble a mock-up of its proposed new Type 10 Green Line trolleys for visits by prospective riders at Boston’s City Hall Plaza next Tuesday and Wednesday. The trains are 40 feet longer than those currently in use. (Universal Hub)
  
  
• Newton’s Thistle & Leek and MIDA both appear on Boston Magazine’s Top 50 Restaurants list.  Which local restaurants do you think they missed?
  
  
• Secretary of Labor and Workforce Lauren Jones and the Mass Skills Coalition invite employers to attend a morning of networking and learning about skills-based talent strategies, Oct. 30, 8:45-11:30 a.m. in Boston. RSVP
  
  
• Retailers Association of Massachusetts is conducting a confidential survey to understand small business challenges. Massachusetts retailers are invited to complete the 10-minute survey by Nov. 1.
  
  
• Win gift cards from over 40 Wellesley restaurants through Wellesley Rotary Club’s “Dinner On Us” sweepstakes.
  
  
• Enjoy this video of Chamber Board Chair and Needham resident John Rufo speaking Monday at Needham Town Meeting in support of the Neighborhood Housing Plan.

And now the other big news in Needham this week

Finally today, Needham’s uber-competent Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick (that’s her on the right with Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll) has announced plans to retire next summer after almost 35 years with the town, including 23 as Needham first and only town manager.

“I’m going to stay in local government,” Fitzpatrick said, according to the Needham Observer.

“I’ll be doing a lot of training, coaching, writing – that kind of stuff. I have no idea specifically what, other than it will involve local government, because that’s my passion.”

(Let’s hope that also means more time for her to contribute to Very Kate, her delightful blog)

There will be plenty of time to sing Fitzpatrick’s praises in the months to come. For now, let’s just say that pretty much every good thing every select board member ever took credit for over the decades happened because Fitzpatrick and her team quietly made it happen.

Needham is among the Commonwealth’s best run municipalities. That doesn’t just happen by accident.