Newton's Riverside Development Project: Developer Asks To Adjust

NEWTON, MA — Remember the mixed-use housing, retail and commercial development at the Riverside MBTA stop that was approved unanimously by the City Council in October after years of back and forth?

It’s back.

Mark Development, the developer behind the project, is asking the city council to allow some changes to its 13-acre site at the Riverside T Station parking lot and former Indigo Hotel along Grove Street in Lower Falls and Auburndale, citing significant changes in the economy.

The developer wants to replace the proposed hotel and adjacent office building with a life sciences laboratory center, reduce the number of apartment units by 27 (from 582 to 555), and eliminate 17,033 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.

Not everyone is happy about the news, especially the loss of a grocery store and hotel, which many had thought would be good to have as a place for family and friends to stay.

"We are disheartened to have significant changes proposed only three months after the special
permit was approved," the Lower Falls Improvement Association Riverside Committee said in a statement Feb. 3. "Given that the project may not be fully built for 10 or more years, it seems
shortsighted to make such changes now."

The group said they felt strongly that the overall size, maximum heights and 60/20 residential/ commercial mix should stay untouched.

The mayor said the changes raised questions.

"The timing of the proposed amendments raises interesting questions," said Mayor Ruthanne Fuller in a statement."

Since the city approved the plan in October, a new ordinance went into effect raising the percentage of affordable housing units required in a development of this size from 17.5 percent to 20 percent.

If the city determines that the requested amendments to the Special Permit fall under this new requirement, the number of affordable units at Riverside would increase from 103 to 110.

And then there's the matter of a new Massachusetts law.

Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law “An Act Enabling Partnerships for Growth” in January.

This new law affects zoning changes and Newton’s Special Permit process. Before that law, zoning changes and Special Permits required a two-thirds vote of the City Council – or 16 of the 24 Councilors. Under this new law, a simple majority can pass a zoning change, meaning just 13 of the 24 Councilors are required to vote yes.

The city's law department is looking into whether Mark Development’s request for amendments to their Special Permit will fall under this new law, or whether it will be grandfathered, a spokesperson for the mayor's office said in an email.

The mayor said the planned revisions at Riverside don't alter the plans for the other 10 buildings in the development or for the parking garage, the proposed new exit ramp from I-95 northbound into the site.

The $7.2 million in mitigation funding required in the Special Permit is also not expected to be affected by the proposed amendments, according to the mayor.

The funds include $1.5 million for Williams School improvements, $3 million for the Riverside and Charles River trail network, $1.3 for neighborhood improvements and $1.4 million to upgrade the City’s sewer system.

The revised project is set to go before the City Council Land Use Committee in April.

Mark Development originally planned to bring in 675 apartment units via a 1.5 million-square-foot complex, before it downsized to 582 apartment units.

Previously: Newton's Riverside Development Next To MBTA Gets Green Light

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how.