The historical development of Newton’s villages provides an example of transit-oriented development done right—and a good model for the smart growth the region needs today.

A new luxury housing development in neighboring Wellesley, meanwhile, offers a lesson in missed opportunity.

From the 1800s to the early 1900s, Newton’s growth centered around rail transit stations, leading to a relatively high-density, mixed-use and socioeconomically diverse community. 

Looking at census rolls from over 100 years ago, one can find a banker living next to a laborer and a teacher living next to an executive. Their children went to the same schools, they gathered at nearby parks and playgrounds together, and shopped in the same stores and businesses. 

Newton’s historical village centers provide a good template for what the five-year-old MBTA Communities Act intends to achieve today. But progress has been slowed by market forces, regulations, restrictions and perhaps a lack of a shared vision and goals.

The MBTA Communities Act is a 2021 state law that requires 177 cities and towns with access to the MBTA to enable zoning that supports increased housing near transit. The hope is that there will be increased multifamily housing, and that the affordability of housing will improve as the supply increases. 

The city of Newton amended its zoning in 2023 to be compliant with the MBTA Communities Act. Newton’s Village Center Overlay District zoning allows for the potential of up to 8,745 new units.

Change is slowly beginning to happen. A recent report by Boston Indicators, a research arm of the Boston Foundation, finds that about 160 new units have been built in Newton thus far under the new zoning.

Transit-oriented development has been a goal of city planners for decades. By creating dense, walkable, mixed-use communities with access to public transit, increased density of housing can be supported. This will lead to reducing urban sprawl, providing options to driving in cars, and fostering sustainable and vibrant access to jobs, housing and services. 

Recent studies have found that socioeconomically diverse communities foster upward mobility and other positive social outcomes, boosting a municipality’s tax base.

But policies to promote affordable, transit-oriented smart growth can miss their mark.

An example can be seen in “The Nines” project, recently built in Wellesley just over the Newton city line. Under a zoning change, the town set a requirement that 25 percent of the units were to be “affordable.” Yet the Nines is marketed as a “luxury” complex where studio to three-bedroom apartments cost from $2,873 to $18,338 a month. 

As part of a “smart growth” district, the new development in Wellesley was to have met the criteria of being in a “Substantial Transit Access Area.” This is defined as an area that includes all or part of the land being located within a half mile of a rapid transit or commuter rail station, bus or ferry terminal. 

Walking path from The Nines to the Waban MBTA station.

However, the walking distance is one mile to the nearest MBTA station at Eliot and 1.2 miles to Waban. Both require walking along Route 9 for a part of the distance. There’s no integration of the development with the fabric of the community. Almost all tasks conducted by its residents require driving.

Has The Nines met the goals for increasing affordable, transit-oriented housing? Has it lived up to the smart growth goals of “substantial transit access?”

The Nines today is an auto-dominated suburban development in an office park. Residents can only enter and exit going westbound on Route 9, adjacent to the Route 128/95 highway interchange. 

Most would agree The Nines represents a poor example of “smart growth” zoning, marked by lack of true transit accessibility. It’s not an example to follow for new development under the MBTA Communities Act when it comes to encouraging transit use. 

Yet, there is a simple and inexpensive way to make The Nines meet transit goals from both a smart growth zoning perspective and as the kind of project that many hope will emerge as a result of the MBTA Communities Act. 

For relatively low cost, probably around $3 million, a pedestrian and bicycle bridge can be constructed across the Charles River connecting The Nines to Quinobequin Road in Newton. By locating the bridge near Larkspur Road in Waban, the bridge will provide a direct pathway to the Waban MBTA station at a walking distance of approximately a half mile from The Nines.

The existing Sargent Bridge in Natick is an example of what a new bridge across the Charles may look like at this location.

The Sargent Bridge in Natick.

Residents from The Nines will not only have a pleasant walk to transit, but their homes will become integrated with those of the residents of Waban. The Nines residents, crossing the new bridge, will also gain access to the retail and cultural facilities in Waban Center, which would then be just a 10-minute walk away. 

Smart growth transit-accessible zoning shouldn’t just be a “check” on a box on a zoning application. 

Cities and towns need to think creatively and practically to get the results we all expect: vibrant, socioeconomically diverse communities that have mobility options that include walking, bicycling and access to transit. 

Let’s work to make that happen!

Dr. Srdjan S. Nedeljkovic, a resident of Newton Highlands, serves on the Newton Transportation Advisory Group.