Sept. 26–The City of Newton will host a workshop meeting to discuss the design and planning of the West Newton Square Enhancements Project this Wednesday at the First Unitarian Church.
The meeting, from 6:30-8 p.m., is the second in a series the city hopes will engage residents and business owners of West Newton. Ward 3 Councilor Theodore Hess-Mahan said this week city planners would follow up on submitted ideas and accept feedback on more concrete plans for the project set for 2017.
“It’s not just like a pie in the sky sort of thing where you plan it, set it on the shelf and say ‘Well, some day.’ We actually have some money that has been set aside for this specific purpose, so that’s why we’re gathering the public input,” Hess-Mahan said.
At the first workshop in June, residents wrote their ideas for traffic improvement, pedestrian-friendly streets, and beautification directly on large printed maps of the square.
West Newton Square is home to art galleries, craft shops, and local vendors, but Ward 3 Councilor at Large James Cote said broken streetlights, traffic problems, and a lack of trees show it is in need of an enhancement.
“When you come off the turnpike there are only two places to get into Newton, that’s Exit 16 or 17. That’s where the gateway is into the city. Because of that, we want to make it fluid, make everything move, make it possible for the businesses to make money too because if they don’t, it doesn’t really work for anybody,” Cote said.
Business owners said they are excited for the improvements and how the city has engaged the public.
“People who live here, people who work here, people who own businesses here are giving their feedback,” said Loren Sklar, who has been a business owner iin West Newton for 24 years. “You can study it all you want, but these are the people that live it and know it, and the fact that these are the people that they went to to ask for solutions, for ideas—I was just so happy and so enjoyed the process.”
Afkham Salie, whose family owns L’Aroma Café in the square said he appreciates the efforts made to include the public in the process, and plans to attend the upcoming meeting.
“It makes just a huge difference because when you have any outside party coming in and changing things in your neighborhood, you know, there’s a personal involvement, so we want to make sure everything is done well,’’ Salie said.
Community engagement manager Lily Canan Reynolds and urban designer Rachel Blatt, who are helping to coordinate the project, emphasized the importance of public input.
“We bring in our professional expertise, but it’s important that we hear from the residents and businesses what is important to them and what they want to see,” Blatt said.
The Reporter Blog 