At a neighborhood zoning forum on Wednesday, Nonantum residents debated adding a fourth floor to a local barbershop owner’s new development in the Newton Village.
“Everyone wants to see the guy do well,” said Nonantum resident Scott Winfield. “How do you give him what he needs, but also preserve the neighborhood?”
The city approved John Mula’s project in 2017 under a special permit as a three-story, mixed-use building. But now, Mula, who owns Salvi’s Barber Shop in Nonantum, said he’s seeking to add a fourth floor with three additional residential units, which would change the zoning for the area.
The property is located in two lots that fall under Business 1 zoning restrictions, but a four-story building would fall under the Mixed Use 4 (MU4) zoning area, changing the zoning of the lots and potentially opening the door for bigger developments in the future.
Mula wants to build the extra floor because he had unexpectedly high construction costs in his project and another floor could make the space more profitable, according to Matthew Eckel, a lawyer for the project.
“[Mula’s] been at this a long time, and the site has been under a state of either demolition or waiting for the next step for some time,” Eckel said.
Mula described his recurring challenges with the project.
“I tried to sell this thing for five years,” Mula said. “Nobody would buy because it wasn’t financially feasible. I found a guy after my second partner to help me finish this project.”
Nonantum resident Arrianna Proia described her frustration with the neighborhood’s support of a development project as opposed to the needs of residents like her.
“It’s very unfair that now this neighborhood is now having to bail out this business owner because he made a bad financial decision,” Proia said. “If I do that I have nowhere to go.”
Proia stressed the importance of affordability for residents.
“There are new people that deserve to come into this community, people who grew up with this community,” Proia said. “We’re all Newtonians. We all strive to be that. And you know, we deserve affordability.”
In response to affordability issues and blame, Winfield explained his frustration with Newton city councilors.
“Our councilors, who are supposed to support the neighborhood, are not supporting us,” Winfield said, before pointing at Ward 1 Councilor-at-Large Alison Leary and Ward 1 Councilor Maria Scibelli Greenberg. “That’s what’s making Newton unaffordable, those two ladies right there.”
Meeting attendees also argued looser zoning could open the door to additional MU4 buildings in Nonantum, leading to a denser population and a higher cost of living within the village.
Former Ward 5 Councilor Paul Coletti is concerned this approval will set a new precedent for the neighborhood, welcoming further unwanted development.
“There are a lot of mitigating factors in the community,” Coletti said. “We want you to build a building, but we don’t want a zoning change. We don’t want to set a precedent on our street because we’ll go four to six stories.”
Eckel argued this project would not change the state of the neighborhood.
“We hear the talk about precedent,” Eckel said. “MU4 is and was designed to encourage development that allows for sufficient density and uses to allow compact pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods with a variety of uses. We’re not changing the character of what’s already approved or the neighborhood.”
Greenberg told The Heights in an email that even if this project is approved, the city will still carefully inspect every other new development.
“I want to assure residents that approving this project does not set a precedent for automatic approvals of similar requests in the future,” Greenberg said. “Each application will continue to be subject to thorough review, public input, and regulatory oversight. I recognize the importance of balancing progress with preserving the unique identity of our community.”
Coletti said he feels this new addition will take away from the charm of Newton’s Nonantum village.
“We’re always at the bottom of the wealth list,” Colletti said. “We are always the place where people want to dig in, get in their feet. It always happens in the areas where there’s least resistance and where people can’t muster, you know, the fight. Newton’s 13 small, little villages are all each with their own identity, and now they’re all being forced to start to look the same.”
In an email to The Heights, Leary wrote that more residential units would be beneficial to the neighborhood because of the building’s proximity to local businesses..
“The smaller units work well for young professionals, smaller families and active seniors looking to downsize,” Leary said. “In addition, the project includes three affordable units. Nonantum is one of the most walkable villages in Newton with access to buses and a reasonable walk to Watertown Square and Newton Corner.”
Mula said he believes buildings are not essential to the neighborhood’s vibrancy.
“Buildings don’t make a neighborhood,” Mula said. “People make a neighborhood.”
This article was updated to reflect comments from Newton City Councilors Greenberg and Leary sent in emails to The Heights after the article was published.
