New Housing and Commuter Rail Upgrades – What’s the Connection?

Perhaps the biggest news in Newton this past month happened when the state, along with federal and local officials, announced a $50 million commitment to rebuild the Newtonville Commuter Rail station. Finally!

The plan is to give this most well-used of the three stations in Newton another platform as well as make it fully accessible for people with mobility challenges. The rebuild will include other upgrades like lighting, heating, security cameras, and bike parking.  

The result of all that will be nothing short of transformative, allowing for more stops in Newtonville throughout the day, and enabling everyone to access the train. Today, none of the Newton stations are accessible, and none offer frequent service.

So, why mention this in a newsletter about housing?

Governor Healey, when addressing a press briefing at Newton City Hall, pointed out how this move is linked to the development that has happened and is happening in Newtonville.

“That stop …is surrounded by a number of new housing developments,” she said. “It is a great example of what works. We’re going to have hundreds more folks living right next to a T station who are going to be able to literally not get in their cars but to hop on a commuter rail that’s traveling at times that work for them and their families and their schedules that are going to support our economy.”

She noted how this kind of smart, transit-oriented development not only addresses housing, but  grows the area economically and eases traffic congestion as people will be able to rely less on cars and more on public transit.

More frequent train service also carries with it the promise of being able to commute into Newton. This will help our local businesses as well as make Newton more attractive to new businesses whose employees rely on the T.

In addition to this being a victory for housing, it’s a huge victory due to the persistence of State Rep. Kay Khan, whose public career is coming to a close. She has made upgrading the commuter rail stations a priority for the past three decades. In an interview with the Statehouse News Service as recently as October, Khan noted that she was still lobbying  transportation officials to advance this project.

The goal of more housing is far from over.

Also, this past month, Congressman Auchincloss joined with several House members to form a YIMBY Caucus. Their goal is to remove obstacles to housing development and boost investment in the infrastructure that helps create walkable neighborhoods.

At a recent town hall in Newton, Auchincloss "emphasized the value to the community in meeting the needs for housing through multifamily construction close to public transportation."

“Newtonville Station serves the largest number of riders and holds the most immediate potential for transit-oriented development.”

Congressman Auchincloss is clear, “The solution is supply. We need to build more housing. Any other answer is not getting to the root cause of the problem.”

All this comes as those communities around us are pushing back on the MBTA Communities Act.

Weston voters rejected a rezoning proposal that would have made their town comply with the MBTA Communities Act. In Needham, Town Meeting overwhelmingly approved new zoning in October. However, opponents gathered enough signatures to force a referendum, to be held on January 14, 2025. In both Weston and Needham, citizens are putting significant state funds at risk. (Go to Yes for Needham to learn more.)

Other communities are moving forward.

As of the end of November, over 100 communities have approved new multifamily districts.  Lexington has been in the news not only for being the first community to pass new MBTA zoning, but for expanding their plan to meet the needs of their town. Today,1,000 new homes are in the works.

Just last month, Watertown adopted new zoning that allows for many more units than required by law. This will enable them to upgrade Watertown Square transforming it to a vibrant, people friendly hub.

What’s happening in Newton?

Meanwhile in Newton, the opponents of the new zoning, repeatedly said that over 15,000 units could be built, down to 8,300 by the time it was passed, barely meeting the MBTA requirements. These numbers were never possible, but the claim scared a lot of people.

The reality, of course, is much different. In the year since the new village center zoning was adopted, there is one project in the works in Newtonville with about 35 units plus there are a couple of small projects with between 4 and 8 units.

And as we’re seeing in Newtonville, the additional housing comes with benefits, some of which have been a long time coming. Allowing more homes in West Newton and Auburndale, would give those commuter rail stations a better chance of getting upgrades as well.