City Seeking Proposals for Austin Street Mixed-Use Development

What would you like to see in a potential development at the Newtonville lot?

After several years of studying the space and discussing its potential for development, the city has officially posted a request for proposals (RFP) for a mixed-use development at the Austin Street municipal lot in Newtonville.  The RFP was issued on Thursday, Feb. 14, according to the RFP document posted on the city's website.  The RFP document is located in the .pdf section to the right. The 1.7-acre lot was deemed as "surplus" by the Board of Aldermen's Real Property & Reuse Committee in December 2010. It currently includes 159 parking spaces, with 121 spaces open to the general public. After the space was deemed as surplus, the city formed a Joint Advisory Planning Group (JAPG) in March 2011 to study the potential uses for the lot. The…

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Newton Aldermen Take Another Step Toward Developing Austin Street Lot

The lot could be developed into a mixed-use site.

The Newton Board of Aldermen Monday night approved a zoning change that is a step toward building a potential mixed-use development on the Austin Street municipal parking lot.  The board voted 22-1 in favor of rezoning the parking lot to a "mixed-use 4" zoning district. Alderman Jay Ciccone Jr. was the single dissenting vote, according to minutes from the meeting. Alderman Lenny Gentile was absent.  The new zoning, which was recommended by the city's Planning Department, will allow for a potential developer to build a mixed-use project on the lot. Once the zoning is finalized, the city can solicit development proposals for a new mixed‐use residential development on the site, according to minutes from the Sept. 24 Zoning and Planning …

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Letters to the Editor

LETTER: Re-Zoning Austin Street Lot Will be Detrimental to Newtonville Residents, Merchants

A letter to the editor from former Alderman Allan Ciccone (Sr.) regarding the re-zoning of the Austin Street municipal lot.

Editor's note: The Board of Aldermen is currently considering an item that would re-zone the Austin Street municipal parking lot to a "Mixed-Use 4" zone. This follows a study done by a joint advisory planning group (JAPG), which recommended the lot be used for a combination of housing and commercial space, or a mixed-use site.  In addition, the Traffic Council considered last month removing several metered spots in Newtonville at Walnut Street and Newtonville Avenue to improve crosswalk visibility.  Dear Editor --  I am writing because I do not agree with the city taking away 85 parking spaces from the Newtonville Municipal Parking Lot on Austin Street, re-zoning the parking lot and selling it. In my opinion, it will be detrimental to the …

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Aldermen Take More Time to Consider Austin Street Lot Appraisal

Clifford Appraisal and Consulting Firm recently conducted an appraisal of the Austin Street property and on Jan. 13 submitted a report estimating its market value of $2.15 million.

After a professional consulting firm submitted an appraisal of the Austin Street parking lot's market value, the Newton Board of Aldermen decided Tuesday night to take some more time to discuss the property's potential value.  The board voted 17-6 (one absent) in favor of sending the Austin Street reports and appraisal back to the Real Property and Reuse Subcommittee for further consideration and to set a minimum price for the property. The full board will likely vote on the reports at its next meeting on Feb. 6. Both the Planning & Development Department and the Joint Advisory Planning Group (JAPG) have filed separate reports on the potential uses of the Austin Street lot, which is located in the Newtonville village center. In October …

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Melanie Graham

9:24 pm on Sunday, September 30, 2012

Hi Rene -- Thanks for your comment and thanks for bringing this important topic back into the view of our readers. The full Board of Aldermen will be voting Monday night on whether to rezone the lot to "Mixed Use 4", which would allow for a mixed use development to be built on the site. The Zoning and Planning Committee already approved the item unanimously.   more ›